The Wrong Way
by pcworth
Summary: Zelena offers Regina a chance to go back in time with her to change both of their lives for the better. But will Regina do it or can she find something else in her life to make her see the positives. Slow burn to Swan Queen. Rating M, but it won't be until later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I do not own Once Upon A Time or its characters. Just a fan._

It had now been a week since she had lost her heart.

Regina was sitting on her couch with a drink in her hand. She considered it, studied it, like she did everything lately. It wasn't exactly like she couldn't feel without her heart. It wasn't exactly what she thought it would be like though.

She felt more introspective, like she was relying more on her mind than ever before.

Regina was hardly surprised when there was a puff of smoke a few feet from her.

"Hello sis."

"Hello Zelena."

"Mind if I have a drink?"

"Help yourself."

Zelena poured herself a drink and then sat next to her.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm not feeling much,"

"What's it like?"

Regina looked at her. "Considering taking your own heart out, because I would be willing to help with that."

"Now sis let's not fight. We aren't going to have many of these moments left to us."

"Ah yes, time travel. You are planning on going back and making sure what – that I was never born? You want my life? You want our mother to raise you? Go for it."

She downed her drink and went to pour herself another.

"Thanks for your blessing, but it goes a little deeper than that."

"Zelena, clearly you came here for a reason, get on with it or leave. Either way, I don't care what your plans are."

"Even if my plans involved your precious son."

Regina turned and looked at her. "You have no reason to involve Henry."

Zelena considered her half-sister a moment. She stood and walked to her sister, putting her hand on her chest over where Regina's heart would have been. "You and I could have made an interesting team growing up," Zelena said. "I wonder."

"Wonder what?" Regina looked in confusion.

"If maybe I have been looking at this the wrong way," Zelena smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you think she meant when she said maybe she had been going about this the wrong way?" Emma asked.

Regina had come over to Snow's place after Zelena had left her home.

"I have no idea," Regina said. "Do you think maybe you all could stop asking me about her motives and intentions? You seem to be forgetting that I don't actually know her. We may be half sisters, but that is genetics only."

"Don't you think it odd that she keeps popping in for these sisterly chats?"

Regina stared at her, "Normally I wouldn't believe a word she said given that she wants to destroy me, but she did say something interesting just before she left. She said that you intend to take Henry back to New York when this is all over, is that true?"

Emma took a step back.

"Emma is this true?" Snow asked.

Emma wouldn't look at Regina or her parents. "We have a life back there. A good life."

"A life I gave you," Regina said.

"What do you want me to say, thank you? Fine, thank you for giving me and Henry a great life where we don't have to worry about any of this fairy tale crap."

"You were going to leave with my son without even telling me, weren't you?"

"He's my son," Emma spat back.

Regina didn't give into her anger, instead she turned and left slamming the door shut. As soon as she was out of the building she disappeared in a puff of smoke. She reappeared outside of the home Zelena had commandeered for herself. She knocked on the door, not knowing what magic wards her sister may have put up.

"That was quick," Zelena said opening the door to her.

Regina came in, and started pacing the floor, "You were right, she was planning on taking Henry from me. Again."

"Did you really think Emma and her parents would let you have even that bit of happiness? They see Henry as part of their family, not yours. But don't you see Regina, we have an opportunity here. An opportunity to bring our family to power, not theirs."

Regina stopped her pacing. "Tell me more."


	3. Chapter 3

It's not like Regina had a lot of friends, so after meeting with Zelena she found herself talking to the only person she could think of.

"You really think she can pull this off, travel back in time and change all of it?" Tink asked.

"Yes, I think she can. She has worked on this just as hard as I worked to cast the curse that brought us here in the first place. She wants it just as bad."

"But I guess I am confused about how she now wants to change things,"

"It is a little hard to wrap your head around," Regina admitted. "And she isn't going into a lot of specifics. She doesn't trust me, and I don't trust. But if she pulls this off, that will all change."

"She really wants to change things so you and her grown up together?"

"That is what she says. It was not her original intention and she is actually delaying her plans to figure out all the details of how to do this because before she wanted me wiped from existence. I am not even sure what it was that made her change her mind."

"Ok then I have a question. Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be pow-wowing with Emma and Snow and whoever else gets a seat at the table? I thought you were on their side."

Regina bit her lip, a curious expression to see on the former queen Tink thought.

"Emma wants to take Henry back to New York when this is all over. She was going to do this without even consulting me."

"Regina," Tink said. "I know you don't exactly have a history of listening to me, but you need to listen to me. You can't do this. You have to go tell Emma and the others what you have learned. You can't seriously think that this is sane in anyway. First of all, think about how you grew up. Do you really want to grow up again with Cora? And what makes you think your sister will be any better?"

"It couldn't be worse."

"You don't know that," Tink said. "You don't even know that Zelena isn't trying to screw you over. I mean a few days ago she threw you through the clocktower. She took your heart. That doesn't scream happy family. Plus, if you are so upset about Emma taking Henry, what do you think happens when you change things and he isn't ever born?"

"Maybe you are right. Maybe the best thing is for me to tell the others."

"Now you are thinking intelligently."

"Finish your drink and let's go. I could use the support."

Tink finished her wine as Regina watched. As soon as she put the glass down on the table, she slumped back in her seat unconscious.

"Sorry, my dear," Regina said. "When you wake up you won't even remember we had this talk. You make a good point about Henry, but if we do this I could get Daniel back and have a son of my own."


	4. Chapter 4

Regina entered Snow's home for their next meeting on what to do about Zelena who had been silent for several days. Of course, the idiots thought it was because of Emma and her magic had Zelena scared. While Zelena was not happy about how her plan to have Hook's cursed kiss steal Emma's magic had failed, the real reason she was lying low was because he was revising her plan on how to travel through time with Regina.

After her chat with her Tink, Regina had gone over to see Zelena to agree to help her with her plan. She still didn't trust her sister, and it was safe to say Zelena didn't trust her. They agreed Regina should continue to meet with the others to stay abreast of their plans. So here she was.

Robin smiled at her as she entered. She forced a fake smile back. There was a mistake of loneliness that was getting complicated. Once there memories had returned and she realized how she and Robin had interacted back in the fairy tale land, she figured he would want nothing to do with her. He didn't end it though. She took a seat next to him, but gave him no other encouragement.

Snow started off talking and Regina drifted into her thoughts immediately. The emptiness inside of her chest was growing each day. She had asked Zelena about her heart – a vital ingredient in the spell she assured Regina – but Zelena also promised her that it did not mean Regina was going to die. In fact she said if all was done perfectly not only would she have her heart back she'd have everything she wanted in life.

That was when Regina sat down and told her about Daniel. She hadn't spoken to anyone about her relationship with the young stable boy and what it meant to her. That stupid book of fairy tale stories had glossed over it – as if it didn't matter. But it mattered to Regina. She surprised herself by being so open about it to Zelena, who surprised her in turn by taking her hand and apologizing to her.

"This is exactly why I'm doing this," Zelena said. "The pain you and I have endured in our lives, it wasn't fair. We shouldn't have had to go through those things. We have a chance to get it right for us. I'm not saying it will be perfect, but at least you and I will be going through it together as sisters."

It meant something to her that Zelena appeared to care about what happened to Daniel, but at the same time she knew her reaction wasn't what it would be with her heart. She was in a constant state of want – wanting to feel something more than what she was feeling.

Even though she broke the curse that stole their memories away by kissing Henry, she found herself not fully participating in the moment. She loved her son. She knew this, and now she had proved it for all to see. And the moment she kissed him, she had felt that love and felt her first bit of pure feeling since her heart had been taken. But then it faded quickly. She wanted to hold on to that feeling but couldn't. She ended up putting a fake smile on for Henry and Robin for the rest of that day. And neither noticed.

No one noticed that she was going through the motions of what she felt only faintly. And she couldn't even feel mad about it, not fully. She couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like for her mother. Did she feel like this when she made the decision to take her own heart out or was it different because it had been her choice?

"Regina?"

She was broken from her musings to see everyone staring at her.

"Yes?"

"We were just asking if you had figured out any magical way to stop the spell," Snow asked.

"No, but I'm still looking."

"More reason to go on the offensive," Robin said. "We now know Emma's magic can stop her. I say we go at her head on. She's up there at that house. If we go at her in force she won't be able to deal with all of us. It could give Emma her chance."

"You are forgetting she has Rumple under her control. He could stop us," Regina said annoyed by his suggestion.

"Is there anyway to neutralize him as a threat?"

"Outside of killing him or gaining possession of the dagger? No."

"You're just full of optimism," Hook said.

"I'm just looking at it logically," she shrugged.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma returned to her rooms at Granny's once the meeting was over.

"How did it go? Henry asked. He had wanted to go, but she wasn't letting that happen. She had left him there where he was watched by Ruby.

"Not well," she said taking a seat. "Hey kid, how has Regina seemed to you since you remembered who she was?"

"Fine, why?"

"I don't know, just a feeling I guess."

"Is something wrong?" he asked concerned.

"No. It's probably nothing. She just seemed a little off, not what I'm used to."

"She told me about her heart. But she was still able to break the curse without it."

"Yes she did," Emma smiled. "She loves you, of that I was sure of even before she proved it."

"About that, I know you said we'd return to New York, but …"

Emma turned to him, "But what?"

"Well, my mom is here. I mean you're my mom too but so is she."

"We could work out an agreement. You could come here in the summer, or during winter break from school. We can work something out between Regina and I."

"What about staying here?"

Emma stood up and paced at bit. "We had a good life in New York."

"I know, but … the memories, all of it was set up by my mom. We only really had one year on our own and yeah it was great, but this is home."

"Look we don't have to decide anything right now kid. Let's get through this nightmare first."

Emma sat on the couch later that night, thinking about her conversation with Henry, but more and more her thoughts turned to Regina. She had watched the other woman from the moment she walked into the meeting and everything in her instinct said something was wrong. Regina hadn't lied or anything like that to set off her detector, but there was something off about her. Emma was sure about that.

The way she smiled at Robin, the way she was caught not paying attention, the she had responded to people. All of it was not like the Regina she knew

And she was going to find out what was going on with her.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma knocked on Regina's door and when there was no immediate answer she readied herself to knock again, but then the door opened and Regina was there.

"Miss Swan. What brings you here?"

"I was hoping we could talk."

Regina looked past Emma and then moved out of the way so Emma could answer. Regina led her through the house and Emma had a sense of déjà vu as she was taken to the exact same room they had spoken in the first time Emma was ever in the house. They even took similar seats.

When Regina said nothing, Emma figured she should start.

"I thought you and I could talk about a few things in private," Emma said, but as Regina said nothing she decided to continue. "First I wanted to say sorry about not talking to you about my plans to return to New York with Henry. I have been his only parent for what seemed like years to me even though it was only one year with the memories you set up for Henry and I it felt like part of a lifetime.

And Henry didn't remember who you were …"

"Is there a point to this beyond you feeling bad?" Regina said, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache she could wipe away.

"The point is I am sorry and moving forward I hope we can come up a system that will work for us and Henry."

"Now that Henry has his memories back do you still plan on taking him back to New York?"

"Our life is still there. I was thinking some sort of custody arrangement could be worked out. It's not anything we need to hash out right now."

Regina stood up and walked over to where a small table with a decanter was on it. She poured herself a drink and downed half of it. Emma didn't like the way Regina was acting – her mannerisms and this crooked smile that was now on her face. She watched as Regina drank the other half of the drink and poured herself another.

"You know I adopted Henry. I raised him, and I raised him well. Then you came along and all of a sudden it didn't matter that I was his mother. It didn't matter that when he was sick I was the one who comforted him, that when he had his first day of school I was the one who waited for him at the bus stop, or how I was the one who got the crayon-colored homemade mother's day cards. None of that mattered when you came into Storybrooke. No one was ever going to say hey Regina is Henry's mother and maybe you should respect that. So forgive if I think that even without the memories I gave you so you could live a life where you were Henry's only mother, that we would still end up right here in this place where I have to depend on you and how magnanimous you can be to determine if I see Henry what a month, two months out of a year.

So Miss Swan that was the first thing you wanted to talk about so I assume there was another. Feel free to begin speaking."

"Are you feeling ok?" Emma said standing.

Regina laughed, "As much as I can feel, yes, I feel fine." She drank down another glass and went to pour more, but Emma's hand on her wrist stopped her. She was about to throw the woman off of her, but even the momentary burst of anger she felt at being stopped by her faded too quickly for her bother.

Emma's eyes bore into hers and she put the glass down and backed away, taking her seat back.

When she looked directly at Regina, Emma saw a brief flicker of emotion in the other woman's eyes but it was gone so quickly she wasn't sure even saw it. She backed away wondering why Regina hadn't thrown her across the room or something.

"I meant what I said about coming up with something that worked for us and Henry."

"I believe we have moved on from the topic of your son. What else did you want?"

Your son. The words sent dread flowing through her. Regina would never refer to Henry like that. She remained motionless trying to determine if she should confront Regina about it, but she decided not to. If she hadn't thought something was wrong before, she definitely knew there was now.

She took a seat. "The plan, the one about taking Zelena on full force. It won't work, will it?"

"It will not."

"I didn't think so."

Regina sighed. "The problem with the plan it has a simplistic solution. We go at her, all she has to do is either turn Rumple loose on us or simply disappear to another location. She may not have been raised by our mother, but I can see the similarities. She wants this plan of hers just as much if not more than I wanted to cast the curse that brought us here. The difference is I was the idiot who got played by Rumple. He orchestrated it perfectly and I never even saw how he manipulated me. Zelena is smarter and more powerful than me. It's as simple as that. She embraced her magic from the beginning. I never did. I never wanted anything to do with it until Daniel … perhaps if I had used it from the beginning I would be a better match for her. Anyway you are apparently the only one who can defeat her so none of the rest of us really matter. She only needs to keep you at bay."

"I don't think you should downplay your part in this. She wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for a desire to go back in time to essentially claim your life. You are an emotional trigger for her and when people get overly emotional they tend to make hasty decisions. We could exploit that."

Regina turned her head and stared at the wall for a moment. Emma first thought maybe she was being dismissive of what she had just said, but she also recognized the look on Regina's face.

"You just thought of something," Emma said.

"I thought of part of something," she said turning back.

"Care to share?"

Regina smiled, "If we can't stop her from casting the curse, maybe we can keep it from affecting everyone."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No. She wants to go back and change the past. If she succeeds then our lives all change in unknown ways depending on what she does. But what if no matter what she does, we here weren't affected?"

"How would that even be possible?"

"I created this place with a curse. A curse that had one other element than simply taking us here to a place with no magic, a place where no one would get there happy endings. It was also a curse that stopped time."


	7. Chapter 7

Note: Again I do not own OUAT or its characters

Once Emma left her home, Regina poured another drink. She smiled at her spark of inspiration. All she needed to do was modify her original curse to stop time in Storybrooke once again. But it wasn't for the reasons Emma believed, and she was grateful Emma hadn't asked too many questions.

The last thing she needed was for Emma's lie detector to go off.

Because now more than ever she wanted Zelena to succeed. If she grew up with Zelena and her mother there was no way she wouldn't end up using magic from the very beginning of her life. And like she told Emma, if she had done that, she might be a match for Zelena.

She would have Daniel back, and with time being frozen in Storybrooke, she wouldn't lose Henry either.

The plan was forming in her mind, but she needed more information from her sister before she could move forward.

A wave of her hand and she was transported across Storybrooke to Zelena's place.

"Hello sister," Zelena said allowing Regina to come in.

"I was hoping we could talk about how this is going to work exactly. Not the spell itself but how the going back in time will work for us. If you go back and change the past starting with keeping our mother from giving you up, how do you ensure I am born when you have already changed a major event that could prevent that exact thing from happening? Not to mention, I am younger than you so how many years are you going to have wait until I am born?"

"Oh sis, you have hit on the very thing I have been working on. Come, come," she said taking Regina's hand and pulling her into the next room and on to the couch. "Think of the spell as a catalyst. It's designed for time travel – not a singular event, although it has its limitations. Yes, the first stop is to ensure I am not given up by our mother. Once mother sees how powerful I have become, convincing her to keep me shouldn't be a problem and even if it is, I am more powerful than her."

"Please do not underestimate her. Our mother was … she knew how to handle situations to her advantage. I don't want you going back with illusions about who she is."

"I don't have illusions," Zelena said looking hurt. "I just want the same opportunities you had. Opportunities you wasted."

"You are right," Regina said. "I did waste them. I rejected my mother's influence almost from the start."

"But why?"

Regina thought for a moment. "Growing up, everything I did was never good enough for her. It's not like I tried, I did. I just wanted her to love me unconditionally, and I never got the sense that was the case. Maybe it was because she didn't have a heart, maybe I was a disappointment. Maybe I wasn't good enough to replace the daughter she gave up."

Zelena smiled at her, "Once I do this, she won't have to make that distinction. She will have both of us to raise and the best part is no one will know we are half-sisters because our mother and your father will raise us as their own. Consider it a gift from me to you."

"How?"

"I am not going back in time to point just before I was given up. I am going to the point where our mother knows she is pregnant with me. Then I am going to move her forward in time to when she meets your father. Rumple has been helping me with the timing since he was carefully watching our mother for years. When our mother gives birth to me, your father – I understand his name is Henry as well – with the help of my magic will believe I am his daughter. From there it is a matter of making sure you are born and then we are done. I figure that is all the time jumps the spell will allow."

"You want to be raised by my father?"

"Our father and yes of course. I want us to be sisters in all meaning of the word. We are going to grow up together and we are going to do wondrous things together," she said gripping her hand. "There is just one problem."

"What is that?"

"The way the spell works, the new you and me will have to integrate with our present selves."

"I am not sure I understand what you mean."

"While I can change the past, when the spell ends, we will automatically be us at our current ages. We will have our memories of growing up together but won't actually be living all those years together – we will, but it's difficult to explain, but rest assured it will be as real to you as your current memories. Do you trust me?"

Regina considered her for a moment. "Yes."

"You do?"

"You know I have lived more than my fair share of years due to the curse I cast and never in all that time has anyone been concerned enough about what I want until you came here. I know you wanted to kill me before, but I think you are right, we can do wondrous things if we are together."

"Good," Zelena said standing and holding her hand out to Regina who took it. She was led out to the storm cellar where Rumple was spinning straw into gold. Zelena entered his cage and opened a box—it contained a golden brain, Charming's sword and Regina's heart. Regina saw the part red, part black heart glowing and she could feel more now that she was close to it.

But Zelena closed the box after retrieving something else from it. She held out two amber colored pendants. "One for me, one for you."

"What are these for?" she said admiring the stone. The color in it swirled with magic.

"This is what will keep you and I grounded at least for a little while. You wanted to know how I would be able to change multiple things in the past when my first act would clearly cause a ripple effect. These stones will keep you and I from being carried away with those ripples. And once the spell is complete, these stones are what will transport us to our new selves so we can be integrated into one."

"Amazing," Regina said holding the stone up to the light to examine it more. She lowered it and looked at her sister. "You really are most powerful."

Zelena smiled, "I am really going to enjoy having you for a little sister. Have I answered all your questions?"

"Yes. Now let's talk about what the idiots have come up with as far as a plan to stop you."


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you sure stopping time will work?" Charming asked.

"As sure as I can be."

"Where did you even come up with an idea like this?" Hook asked.

"The Disney cartoon Sleeping Beauty."

Emma tried not to laugh at the looks on everyone's faces. She had already heard the reasoning but seeing Regina say it to the larger audience was pretty funny.

"You are relying on cartoon?" Snow asked.

"Just the concept from it. In the cartoon the fairies put everyone asleep so they won't know time passed until the prince kisses the princess and you know true love and all that," Regina said. "I am going to stop time here so if we fail and Zelena casts the curse, everyone in town will not be affected by it because time can't touch them."

"But that doesn't stop Zelena from doing what she plans on doing back in our world."

"No it doesn't, and I can't guarantee it would last forever, but it's the best chance we have right now."

"Regina is buying us the one thing we don't have, which is time," Emma said. "At least it gives us a little breathing room."

Regina glanced her way, more out of surprise for how supportive Emma was being than anything else.

"When are you casting the spell?" Charming asked.

"Tomorrow, right before we try taking her on," she said. "That way if she decides to cast her spell we are safe."

"Alright then. Let's go over our plan."

They continued discussing their final strategies over the next couple of hours before breaking up. Regina saw Emma talking with that insufferable pirate.

"Regina," Robin said. "I thought perhaps you would like to get a cup of coffee or something."

"Thank you, but no. I need to talk with Emma about Henry. Another time perhaps?"

"Sure," he smiled. "It appears time will be in long supply once you cast your spell."

Regina returned the smile and then strode over to Emma. "Excuse us pirate," Regina said linking her arm with Emma's. "We have some magic to discuss." She led Emma from Mary Margaret's place and outside.

"Seriously, what do you see in the handless one?" Regina said once they made it to the sidewalk.

"Um Killian, he's ok,"

"You can do better," she said starting to walk toward her home.  
"I don't think you drug me out of there to discuss who I might choose to date."

"That is for certain," Regina said, although she couldn't say why she had made the comment about Hook to begin with. "As you know, tomorrow's fun relies heavily on you."

"I would hardly describe it as fun."

Regina shrugged, "anyway, I have something to give you." She pulled out the amber colored stone, showed it to Emma and then held it in her hands. There was a glow of purple magic and when she opened up her hands the stone now lay in two pieces. "One for you, one for me," she said handing a piece to her.

"What is this for?" Emma said mirroring Regina's actions from when Zelena gave it to her by holding it up to examine it.

"Think of it as a tool to help focus your power. Keep it on you, but not visible. Keep it hidden from Zelena or she will seek to take it from you. Even if she succeeds in casting the spell, you need to keep it on you at all times because we don't know what if anything will happen once she succeeds."

"And this will help with my power?"

"It will help you by keeping you grounded," she said.

"Ok, thanks,"

"You're welcome," she said before turning and walking toward her home.

She made it back to the mansion and didn't bother turning on any lights as she went straight to her bedroom. She pulled out her piece of the stone.

"There's nothing wrong with a little insurance," she said. "You don't know it yet Emma, but when Zelena succeeds you are coming with me back to the Enchanted Forest. And if thing don't go according to plan and Zelena screws me over, well you will be there with your light magic to defeat her."


	9. Chapter 9

_NOTE: The story doesn't entirely fit with TV storyline (especially after this last episode) and I started to write this before the episode anyway so if you are thinking it will match the show, it doesn't. _

Regina walked with the others to the barn on the property where Zelena had been staying. Her spell had already been cast – time was frozen in Storybrooke. As they approached Regina could feel magic already flowing from inside the structure.

"We have to hurry," Emma said rushing forward. Regina couldn't help but smile realizing her student had also sensed the magic. They ran for the doors, Charming and Robin pulling them open.

"You're too late," Zelena smiled.

Magic was swirling all around her. Zelena held up the dagger, "don't let them stop me," she ordered Rumple. He knocked aside Emma and Hook first. Regina already knew she would go flying backwards – Zelena had told her they needed to keep up appearances. Even so, as she banged up against the wall, the breath left her. She was trying to get back to her feet when it happened – the magic surrounded Zelena completely and she disappeared. Rumple's dagger fell to the floor.

"She did it," Rumple said looking at the empty space where Zelena had stood.

"Yes, she did," Regina responded.

She had no idea how long it would be before the amber pieces activated.

Regina paced nervously in her bedroom. It had been hours since Zelena had left, but still no activation of magic from the amber. She was beginning to think she got played by her half-sister.

As it neared 3 a.m., she decided to try and sleep. She lay down, but stared at the ceiling for a long while. She was falling asleep when the amber which lay against her chest began to warm up. She sat up as the heat intensified and felt magic coursing through her. It was powerful and she felt herself blacking out.

Regina opened her eyes and nearly fell out of bed in her haste to get out of it. "Where the hell am I?" she asked looking around. This wasn't her bedroom. She looked down at herself, and these weren't her clothes. She backed up and spun around to take in the room. She walked over to the wall and felt the cool stone. She recognized these kinds of stones. They were the kind used in castles.

She went over to the balcony, opened the doors and stepped out into the early morning sun. She didn't recognize the layout, but she was definitely in a castle. She was back in the Enchanted Forest. She placed her palms upon the balcony's edge and took in the sights and sounds of an early morning at a castle.

She never fully appreciated it until this moment, she realized. She smiled as she saw people getting ready for their day below her. She threw her head back and laughed.

"She did it. She actually did it," Regina said.

But where was her sister? And whose castle was this? Zelena had said once she integrated back into her new self, she would have her new memories, but all Regina remembered was the life she has always known. Did something go wrong, she wondered.

She started to feel a little panicked, walking back inside, but stopping. She was feeling anxious, actually feeling it. She placed her hand over her chest – the beating of her heart almost brought her to tears.

There was a knock on the door. "Enter," she said.

"Good morning my queen," a young woman said bringing in a tray of food and placing it on a small table. From there she moved to straighten up the bedclothes. She smiled as she past Regina to do so.

Queen, Regina thought, I am still queen. But she was confused by the young girl. Smiles weren't exactly a reaction she was used to. She walked over to the tray which had fresh fruit, a piece of bread and a glass of milk on it. She picked up the glass, sniffed it and then took a drink. She almost spit it out.

"Is the milk not to your liking Queen Regina? I could bring you something else.'

"No it's fine," she said. She would definitely have to get used to food that didn't go through some sort of pasteurization process first.

"Sir Carolan asked me to remind you that the new mare in the stables is ready to be broken in once you command it," she said. "He knows you wanted to see it first so he is waiting for when you get the opportunity."

Sir Carolan, the name meant nothing to Regina. "Tell him I will try and make it out today."

"Do you require anything else this morning?"

"Um … no, that will be all."

"Yes my queen,"

She could get used to hearing that again.

Regina ate a couple pieces of the fruit and then went to her closet to find something suitable for a queen to wear. She walked into it and her eyes widened as she took in the various colors – a lot of earth tones and pastels. There was very little black and the only leather she could find were for clothes to go horseback riding in. All in all the wardrobe looked more like things she wore before she had married the king.

"Shit," she swore. The king. If she was queen, was the king still alive. But this wasn't his castle. She knew every inch of that prison, and knew this wasn't it.

She needed her memories of this new reality, which means she needed to find her sister. She changed clothes and noticed the amber pendant was still around her neck. She fingered it. It didn't seem to be as rich in color as before. She wondered if Emma had kept hers on. If she did it meant not only did she have to find Zelena, she needed to find Emma too.


	10. Chapter 10

_Again: I do not own OUAT_

Emma felt like she had a hangover when she woke. She groaned at the pain in her head, and rolled over only feel something hard jamming into her back. She opened her eyes and found tree tops above her.

"What the hell," she said sitting up and turning to see the tree root she was lying on. She must be in the woods surrounding Storybrooke. She stood and stretched and only then looked down at herself.

She was dressed in a pair of brown pants with brown soft leather books that ended midway up her calf. She wore a simple white shirt that didn't feel like anything you would buy at the store. Along with a brown cloak, she realized she had seen people dressed like this before – when she and Snow had gone through the portal and ended up in the Enchanted Forest.

Had Regina's spell not worked? Then she remembered the pendant. She felt under her shirt and found it still hanging there. She had woken in the middle of the night because she had felt it burning. Then she felt faint.

She knew it must have something to do with why she woke up here, but didn't know what. Her knowledge of magic was extremely limited, but she knew the person who gave it to her probably knew exactly what it would do.

"Damn you Regina," she said setting off in one direction. She needed to find out where she was and then find Regina.

She had seen the castle as soon as she emerged from the woods so she made her way there. It didn't look like castle that she was supposed to have grown up in, but it was just as big. It would take her a while to reach one of the gates, which gave her plenty of time to think. She was sure Regina was responsible for her being here, wherever here was exactly. While she figured it was the Enchanted Forest it must one of the parts she had never seen.

She knew from things Snow had told her on her first trip here that the kingdom was vast so it was entirely possible that there were other castles than her parent's.

If she had guessed wrong though, she could be anywhere.

The question that was plaguing her mind was if Regina was behind this, why did she do it? She assumed Regina was also here because she knew Regina had the other part of the pendant. She had considered taking it off and throwing it away, but she had no idea if she needed it in order to get back to Storybrooke.

She stopped – maybe Regina wasn't here, maybe she was back in Storybrooke with Henry and this was her revenge for Emma's plans to take him back to New York.

She didn't want to think that was the case, but she couldn't discount it either. Regina had been acting strange – and without her heart … no, she thought her heart being gone didn't make Regina evil. She had her heart before when she was the Evil Queen.

There was a reason for all of this, and if she wasn't satisfied with the answer, she was to the point where she was ready to kick Regina's ass.

After walking for what she figured was more than an hour, she arrived. While there were guards posted at the entryways and above on the towers and walkways, none of them seemed overly worried about the comings and goings of the people.

She walked in behind some others and no one looked at her twice. At least I am dressed for the part, she thought. She gazed all around her. The place seemed neat, orderly, and although it didn't smell pleasant – no indoor plumbing she reminded herself – overall the place seemed peaceful. For the most part people were smiling as they conducted business or stopped to talk to each other. She didn't see anyone wearing total rags for clothes or anything like that.

She saw a woman loading a cart with baskets. One was too heavy for her so Emma walked over and assisted her.

"Thank you," the woman said.

"You're welcome. I was wondering if you could tell me where I am exactly. I have been traveling for many days and just arrived here, but I am not sure where here is," Emma said hoping she didn't sound like a complete idiot.

"Oh, you are in the southern most kingdom in the Enchanted Forest –home to our beloved ruler, may the light always shine on her – Queen Regina, the Redeemer."


	11. Chapter 11

From the moment she left her bed chamber Regina felt uncomfortable. There were a couple of retainers standing outside waiting for her so she could make some decisions. She told the first one that they should sit and go over it and told him to lead the way. They walked through a series of halls - Regina trying to remember them so she could find her way back - and ended up in a chamber similar to that of her old castle. A single large table – rectangle, not a circle – and high vaulted ceilings highlighted the room, which had banners hung of a design she was definitely not familiar with.

The banners were a sky blue with a white unicorn on its hind legs, its horn pointed toward the sun. What stuck out to Regina was the red heart that was clearly emblazoned on the animal in the exact position where it would be if the unicorn were real.

Whose kingdom was this she wanted to ask, but knew she couldn't. She would have to play along the best she could until she found away to get her new memories or at least find a discreet way to figure all of this out.

There were more people in there and they took their seats as she took hers at the head of the table where a page rushed over to pull the seat out for her. A serving girl brought over water and asked her if she wanted any. She said yes and watched as she put down a glass of clear water. There must be natural spring around here, Regina thought, because she knew water in this world wasn't normally this clear.

Everyone around the table seemed to be engaging in conversations. All of them relaxed. Normally, people wouldn't dare speak in her presence unless she had given them leeway to do so.

And that is what was bothering her – no one here seemed to be afraid of her.

The question was why not?

The matters they wanted to discuss at least were easy enough for her follow. There was an irrigation problem in the west land that was in danger of affecting the crop season. Knowing the dangers of a less than optimal food supply, she gave the order to have the area inspected at once to see if there was something blocking the water, or way to rechannel the water to get it to the crops. If it came to it, they were to haul water in for the farmers, she said.

She was given an update on the construction of an addition to the eastern end of the castle. Obviously an ongoing project that she didn't need to be actively involved in – just updated on.

There were two parts to the meeting that intrigued her the most. The first was a mention of rotating troops on their southern border. It was apparently a routine rotation to keep the troops fresh and allow the others to return to their families for a bit. She approved it and made an off hand remark about if there were any gaps in protection she could always send fireballs down on anyone who dared to attack. There was a slight pause before a couple of the men (and yes women) at the table laughed and complimented her on her joke.

The second part that got her thinking was a report on what one woman – Lady Sylph, she thought she heard someone call her – called Regina's personal project. It was as near as Regina could tell some sort of jobs program – an effort to make sure every citizen was contributing to the kingdom while at the same time giving them a feeling of self-worth. She thanked her for her update, the entire time wondering who had she become in this reality. None of this was like her former kingdom. The people around the table seemed genuine – smiles weren't forced, no body was sucking up to her, they all seemed to be working toward common goals and giving her credit for it.

As the meeting broke up, her royal adviser Sir Aaron (she had no idea of his last name as people were being quite informal) pulled her aside. He was acting more like they were good friends.

"Now I know what you were thinking that entire time your majesty."

"I doubt that."

"Come on, I also heard that Carolan is eager to get working on that new mare, so I know the only place you want to be right now is down at the stables. Am I wrong?"

"You are not," Regina said still playing along, although the idea of taking some time alone to inspect a new horse did appeal to her.

"See, I know you too well at this point Regina," he smiled. "But before you go we do have something to discuss – you still haven't decided on what gift you will be taking with you to Phillip and Aurora's wedding. Now I know it's still a little ways away, and you are balking at the decision because you want it to be absolutely perfect for Aurora, but I would feel more comfortable if you would choose by the end of this week. Do you think you could do that for me?"

"Of course," she smiled. "Maybe we could sit down tomorrow and discuss all the options."

"You know what Phillip wants so keep that in mind as well when you are down at the stables. I am not saying you give him your best horse, but perhaps this new mare would be a suitable gift for him. Frankly, when he is here he spends more time in that stable than the stable boys."

"I will give it some thought. Aaron, could you do something for me – a small matter,"

"Anything."

"There may be a woman here in the kingdom. She is about my height, blonde hair. She would be a newcomer. Her name is Emma Swan. Could you spread the word that if anyone finds her, I would like her brought to me immediately no matter when or where I am?"

"I will do so, but who is this Emma?"

"She is um … she is just someone I would like to talk to."

Aaron gave her a curious look but didn't question her further. He excused himself and Regina managed to find her way back to her bedchambers. She inspected them this morning but did so again. There was definitely no sign that she shared this room with another. There was no mention by anyone of a husband, or a king. Maybe whoever it was, was dead and she ruled alone. At least she hoped so. Without her memories, she certainly didn't need the complication of a husband.

She went to her closet and pulled out some riding clothes. She let her hand pass over the worn, but soft leather. Imprinted on the side of one of the boots was the unicorn symbol.

She began to strip, but as she let the dress she was wearing drop, her eyes caught something in the mirror. She had dressed in such a hurry that morning, she hadn't looked at herself fully in a mirror – why would she, she was familiar with her own body. But now she moved closer to the full length mirror so she was only inches from it. She was standing with her back to it, looking over her shoulder at the reflection – at the thin scars that marred her back. She had seen scars like this before back when she was queen. They were scars from flesh tearing from being hit with a whip. There were three long scars across her back.

She stared at them. Her back had been perfect before.

"What happened to me?"


	12. Chapter 12

The scars had shaken her in a way she couldn't even imagine. She was queen, how on earthy would she have gotten scars? It didn't make any sense. None of this made any sense.

Regina found herself staring at them in the mirror. If she could have, she would have traced each one of them with her finger. It seemed unreal, yet there they were. Who had dared to raise a whip to her? They weren't fresh scars of that she was sure. They were faded too much, but now that she saw them she could swear she could feel them too. It was crazy to think she could feel dead flesh, but at the same time her back felt tighter like she knew the scars had pulled at her skin to form.

She almost told her chamber maid to let someone know she wasn't to be disturbed for the rest of the day.

She buried the confusion and uncertainty deep within her. She changed into some riding clothes, made sure she was presentable and made her face a mask to hide the emotions that were boiling just underneath the surface. She had perfected the technique over the years first as a mechanism of defense against her mother.

She walked out of her room, and realized she had no idea how to get down to the stables. This was going to be harder than she originally thought.

Emma had hardly believed it when the woman made reference to Queen Regina, the Redeemer. But she was also even more convinced that Regina was behind her being here. She considered going straight up to the castle and demanding to speak to Queen Regina, but after a short mental argument she decided to see if she could find out more information about this Regina first.

She had considered the possibility that this wasn't the Regina from her world. If Zelena had succeeded in changing the past then maybe part of the result was this. But it would also mean Zelena didn't succeed in her plan to keep Regina from being born.

She had more questions than answers and she needed to level the playing field a bit before she found some way to speak to the queen. Because even if it weren't her Regina, this Regina must have magic and maybe magic to send Emma home.

Regina earned an odd look when she had some retainer, who had stopped her in the conference chamber which she managed to find on her own, to talk while going to the stables. She didn't care what he thought as it was better than simply saying she didn't know. People would think she had gone insane or was an imposter if they knew she had no idea how to navigate through this castle.

She dismissed the retainer with barely a glance in his direction once they got outside and saw the stables. They were larger than the ones she had at her old castle although the overall design was the same. She remembered how they had built onto her stables when she was a teen still living with her parents. It was a design that a young stable boy named Daniel came up with because it allowed for larger stalls and ceilings. When she had been queen before she had the old stables torn down and a new one built using Daniel's design.

Yet she never actually went into it.

While she would always love horses, she only rode them as queen when necessary because she didn't need any more reminders of the love she lost. While she helped keep the stables in Storybrooke well funded, she had never been in them or ridden a horse there in all her years.

She took a moment to just breathe before approaching. The smell of horses was both welcome and sad to her. Some guards nodded and greeted her as she approached.

"Is Sir Carolan here?"

"Yes, your majesty. He is in the side ring with one of the horses."

"Thank you," she said.

She made herself go around the stable instead of cutting through it. She approached the side ring and stopped. A man was in the ring with a brown mare that was rearing up. She walked closer her eyes not on the man, but on the horse.

"Magnificent," she said as she reached the fence. She had prided herself on having a good stock of horses when she was queen even if she didn't want to be near them or ride them, but she always wanted the best. Here she realized was one that surpassed them all.

The man in the ring saw her and came over.

"Well Regina, what do you think?"

"There is no way Phillip is getting this horse," she said unable to take her eyes off of it.

The man smiled. "She is perfect isn't she."

"Beyond perfect."

Sir Carolan smiled at seeing his queen so taken by the horse. He knew as soon as he had acquired it that this of all horses was fit to be called the queen's own.

Some semi-inebriated men offered to buy Emma a drink – or drinks – in a local pub, an offer she accepted even if it was in the middle of the day. Drunk people tended to talk more and she needed to find out more. The ale they got her tasted about a step above Natural Light, which wasn't saying much for the cheap concoction. They raised their tankards in some salute to unity, which Emma had no idea about but she drank anyways.

"So tell me," she said after getting halfway through the ale. "What is your queen like?"

Regina hadn't meant to spend so much time down in the stables, but after watching the first part of the breaking in process of her new mare, she went through a self-guided tour. She stopped at each horse in a stall, and examined it or petted it and in same cases fed it an apple. She wanted so much to take one of them out, put a saddle on it and just ride until she couldn't anymore.

Aaron finally came down to the stables to get her to come back inside as there were some other matters of state that she had to attend to.

She returned to her bedchambers after dinner, which apparently was not something she just did alone in her room. She learned that the dining hall was full every night, and not just with staff or members of the court, but also new arrivals to her kingdom were always invited to dine with her at least once.  
She was having trouble reconciling this adoration from the people with who she really was. She caught Aaron looking at her a couple of times during the day and he had even asked her if she was feeling alright. She had assured him she was, but the truth was more complicated. Yes she was fine, but at the same time she felt … well she wasn't sure how she felt except when she saw the poor family that was dining with her that evening. They had lost their farm due to a flood and came to her kingdom to start over. She could tell they were desperate and in need.

She also knew the queen she was before would never let them get that close to her. She would have had them run into the ground. They had a son who would have been a couple years younger than Henry and her restored heart ached thinking about him.

Regina changed clothes again – how many outfits did she change into when she was queen before, she wondered briefly. Again she found herself staring at the scars willing herself to remember how she got them.

Once changed into some bedclothes she figured she would turn in early. She approached the bed when a searing pain lanced through her head. She dropped to her knees – images came into her head.

_"Come on Regina," the red-headed girl in front of her yelled as she ran. _

_Regina ran faster trying to catch up, but knowing with her small legs she would never close the distance._

_The girl disappeared over a small hill and Regina got to the top, the red-head was at the bottom next to a creek. She turned and smiled at Regina, "hurry up!" She turned back to the water, moved her hand out over it and Regina watched as rocks from below broke the surface creating a walkway across. The other girl gleefully jumped from stone to stone until the reached the other side._

_"Better hurry."_

_Regina took off running, the hill's decline helping her accelerate but even as she neared the water the rocks began to sink. She almost made a jump for it, but stopped at the edge – almost falling in._

_The girl on the other side laughed at her, which only made Regina mad._

_She took a step back and imitating her hand movements, and shutting her eyes to concentrate she felt for the magic. It channeled through her body and she focused. It wasn't as immediate as it was for the other girl, but she heard the water moving and when she opened her eyes the stone were there._

_"I did it! Look Zelena I did it!"_

_Zelena smiled again, "yes, now come on."_

_Regina skipped across the stones and as she got there Zelena took her hand this time as they ran across the field._

Regina opened her eyes. "What the …" she said looking around her. She was in her bedchamber. She got to her feet but had to grab one of the bed's posts as her head spun. Once the disorientation passed she sat on the edge of the bed. A memory she realized. That was one of her new memories. She had felt it so intensely though like she had relived it. The sights, the sounds and the emotions.

She put her hand on her chest to reassure herself that the heart was there. She couldn't have been more than five or six in the memory – Zelena looking only a couple of years older than her.

Regina had never used magic at that young of an age.

She let the memory play in her head again and while the reality had faded, she knew how she had felt in it. She had felt joy. She was happy and a huge source of that happiness had been Zelena. It was a curious feeling for her, having never felt anything but negativity (or when she had no heart no particular feeling at all) toward her half-sister.

Then she realized – Zelena succeeded.

She had gone back in time and changed their pasts so they now shared one. She had a childhood with her sister. While the memory was more than a little unsettling she suddenly wished for more of them. She wanted to see – no wanted to feel – what it was like to be a sister.

She didn't even realize there was now a smile on her face as he replayed the memory again in her mind.

A knock at her door, interrupted her musings. She pulled on a robe and answered it.

"Sorry for disturbing you," Aaron said. "But you did say to bring her to you anytime anywhere."

"Emma?"

"Yes," he said. "Do you want me to have her brought to your study?"

"No, here is fine."

He said nothing even his look suggested he wanted to say something and he turned back to the hall and made a motion with his hand. A guard escorted Emma to the door.

"Thank you Aaron," she said.

"Anything else you need?"

"No, not right now. Get some rest."

She moved so Emma could come inside. She shut the door and saw Emma examining the room and its contents. Regina took note of the attire Emma was in – somehow she made the clothes appear feminine even if they were more of a man's cut for this world. Emma turned to her finally.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kick your ass, your majesty," she said this last part with full on sarcasm.

"Don't be ridiculous Miss Swan. I could have the guards throw you in a cell before you even touched me," she said with air of superiority that she had not gotten to use since waking up that morning.

"Do you even have cells here, Regina the Redeemer?"

"What did you call me?"

"The same thing everyone else in this blasted town calls you – the Redeemer."

"Why do they call me that?"

"You don't know? That's great. Got anything to eat around here? I am starving," she said crossing her arms. "And then you are going to tell me what you've done to bring me here, and then you are going to reverse it or queen or not, I will knock you senseless."


	13. Chapter 13

Regina paced with not a little impatience as Emma devoured the food which Regina had brought up for her. Emma had insisted on eating before talking and now Regina was beginning to think that she was taking her time – although if Regina wasn't being so impatient she would see Emma was eating fairly quickly.

"Can you get me something else to drink?"

"Are you serious? We have more important things than your thirst to talk about."

"Yes we do, but seeing as this is your fault you can indulge me."

Regina went to the door and told one of the guards what she wanted. Emma noticed there were two guards stationed out in the hall and she wondered why. Maybe it was standard for a queen to be protected like that, but she didn't really know.

"It will be up soon I am sure," Regina said.

"Thanks for confirming this is your fault," Emma said.

"This isn't my fault."

"I didn't see you denying it a second ago."

"I wasn't the one who went back in time and changed things."

"No, but I am beginning to wonder what you knew about her plans," Emma said taking the amber necklace out from under her shirt. She saw Regina's jaw clench but Regina didn't comment.

"So what did you mean that people call me the Redeemer? What have you found out about me?"

"No. We are not going to talk about that yet. You are going to tell me what you knew about all of this and what part you played in it first."

"I have no idea what Zelena has done."

"Bullshit," Emma said standing up. "I woke up in the woods out there. Why don't you think about what this means – Henry's two parents are in this world. He is in Storybrooke. We have to get back and I am at your mercy to get there but if you think you are going to push me around you haven't learned anything about me."

Regina took a step back. "I do not know what Zelena has done," she emphasized each word. "But I know what her plan was."

"I knew it. Damn it Regina, why? Why did you double cross us?"

"I didn't," she said, although she didn't really belief it herself. "I just … she offered me a chance to change things and I took it. But I figured she would double cross me so I … I brought you here with me to even the odds so you could defeat her with your light magic when she tried."

"Tell me everything."

Regina told her all about what she knew of Zelena's plans and the pendants.

"So I can take this off," she said fingering the pendant.

"I would not. I don't know what affect my splitting them did or what they are exactly. Zelena wasn't big on details."

"Why did you do it? You were… people were being accepting of you back home. Henry got his memories back and you proved your love for him. Why Regina?"

"I told you what you wanted to know, so tell me about this Redeemer stuff."

"I can't. I don't know."

"I get that you are pissed at me, but you aren't helping things by withholding information."

"Yes I am pissed. But I also can't tell you what I don't know. About all I found out is that you or at leas the Redeemer version of you is practically considered a saint because you give anyone a chance. Most of the people who come here do so because they are looking for a better life after tough circumstances and you and your people help them. I talked to some guys who were apparently completely down on their luck, they come here and you have some program here that they got jobs through. And they toast your name in the pub."

"But they didn't tell you anything useful?"

"Such as?"

"I am queen, who is king?"

"Oh. There is none."

"How is that possible? My family was minor royalty. My father wasn't a king or anything close to it."

"Yeah, well it turns out that you were appointed as queen and given this land to rule."

"Given by who?"

"My grandmother. Snow's mother."

"What?"Regina said in all shock. "How? Why?"

"I don't know the specifics. But there is one thing that people said about you that I also didn't know about."

"Which is?"

"They salute you but at the same time they feel sorry for you. Apparently you are under some curse."

"A curse? What curse?"

"I don't know. No one would say. But whatever it was it practically brought grown men to tears."


	14. Chapter 14

Again: I do not own OUAT or its characters.

Emma needed Regina in order to get back home to Storybrooke, but it didn't mean she trusted that Regina would actually help her. After the revelation that she was cursed in someway, Regina had gotten silent and had suggested they call it a night. Emma felt bad seeing the look of confusion on Regina's face and there was something else. Once Emma had told her Regina had looked almost immediately behind her at full length mirror.

Regina had ordered one of the guards to get someone to find accommodations for Emma, although it was Emma who added accommodations next to the queen's. Regina didn't overrule her and Emma was placed in rather large sized bedroom. When she had laid down in the bed she thought to herself that it must be nice to be queen.

In the morning she was woken by a chamber maid who seemed almost scared of her – or at least very nervous as she told Emma that there was another woman there who needed to get some measurements for clothing for Emma by order of the queen. Emma obliged knowing she couldn't wear the same clothes all the time, but hopefully she wouldn't be there that long. This other woman took her sizes, and made notes of the style she was wearing.

Emma informed her that she preferred not to be given a bunch of dresses. The woman seemed to study her almost as mush as she studied the clothing.

Food was sent up for her breakfast, by yet another servant who seemed nervous around her. Emma couldn't figure out why except maybe they weren't used to having someone stay in that room.

She ate, freshened up and then went to talk to Regina. She was stopped by the guards, and one of them told Regina she was there before she was allowed in. Regina was dressed in green-colored dress, that Emma thought accented her nicely in a subtle way.

"Got to say, not exactly the wardrobe I had pictured in my head," Emma said and then felt foolish for admitting she had thought about what the Evil Queen wore.

"Yes, well it appears like with everything else – it's changed."

"Did you sleep at all?"

"I gave orders for you to get some clothes of your own," Regina stated, avoiding the question. "It will probably be a little later in the day. We don't exactly mass produce anything here. I am sure they can come up with something you can live with."

"Have you come up with some story to explain who I am?" Emma asked. It was one of the last things they had said to each other the night before – the need for a plausible back story. Emma had insisted it be one that would keep her close to the queen's side. She was not about to let Regina out of her sight anymore than she had to.

"I am queen. Me saying you are a personal advisor or some such should be sufficient enough. Most people don't question a queen."

"And what will I be advising you on?"

"I don't care. Pick a topic Miss Swan," she said. "Since I can't exactly ask people to tell me my past, you are going to have to discreetly inquire about it. And perhaps you could come up with something more useful than vague references to how I became queen and this supposed curse."

"Supposed curse? Do you think I was lying about that?"

"No, only that you might have gotten bad information. Curses aren't something to played around with …"

"That's rich coming from you."

"My point is that if there was a curse why do I appear to be fine?"

"I don't know, how many different kinds of curses are there?"

"More than you might think. While there are standard curses like the sleeping curse, there are also ones that are more difficult or more tailor made which require a sacrifice from the caster. It's an art form in a way."

"I am less interested in your curse and your past than I am in how we get back home? Any thoughts on that?"

"You can hate me all you want for being here, but why don't you try thinking this through a little bit. Do you think I can simply wave my hand and send you home? If I had that kind of power we wouldn't be here now but even if I could merely send you back you would have the same problem as you did in Storybrooke and that is Zelena. Do you really think that she will be satisfied to leave Storybrooke alone?"

"Perhaps if you had actually helped us defeat her back then, none of this would be necessary," she said getting in Regina's face.

"Yes then you could back to New York with Henry, get back to your happy life, isn't that right? Isn't that your whole goal here? Yes I admit I made a decision not to stop Zelena for a selfish reason, can you admit the same about your motivations Miss Swan?"

Emma backed away. Regina had no idea that she had already spoken with Henry about going back to New York and the conversation hadn't gone well. She was determined that was the best place for the both of them, but Henry seemed to think they should stay in Storybrooke. The conversation had ended with Emma getting frustrating and telling Henry that she was his mother and she would make the decision about what was right for him. The kid didn't miss a beat with pointing out that she wasn't his only mother.

"You and me arguing isn't going to help matters," Emma said. "Truce?"

"Yes, I think that would be best."

Regina was sitting in her study going over some correspondences which came in with a messenger that morning. She was thankful for the excuse to have some time on her own. She had trapped Emma with the suggestion that she needed to familiarize herself with the castle grounds and kingdom and had her set up on a tour that she could hardly refuse. All morning while she met with various advisors, sat through a session where she heard petitions from the public – another initiative she had put into place. Apparently anyone could bring a petition before the queen no matter how low their station in life. She gathered the point was to be queen that was accessible to the public.

It also gave Emma her idea for a cover story which she almost gleefully announced in front of various members of the court that she was advising Regina on personal security matters.

People had been looking at or studying her and Emma all day and this new revelation didn't dissuade that. Even when she had Aaron set up the tour – something he said he would handle personally – he had whispered in her ear that as her friend he did expect a better explanation from her later as to who Emma was.

So much for not questioning the queen.

She rubbed her temple a little wishing she had a Tylenol. She hadn't slept hardly at all – at first because she kept thinking about what Emma had said. But then it was because of the memories. She had another episode, but this time more memories came flying into her mind. It completely overwhelmed her and it made her feel less in control. There were several that stood out but others were like background noise or static, but like before, it was like she was reliving them, not remembering them.

She was beginning to find it hard to remember how she had grown up before Zelena changed things. She had to concentrate hard and still only caught glimpses of those old memories like they were a dream she was bound to forget.

Most featured her and Zelena. It appeared they had been raised together as Zelena had planned. They were practically attached at the hip as sisters. There was no doubt in Regina's mind after this latest batch of memories that she loved her sister, worshipped her in ways only a little sister could and Zelena loved her back, doted on her, comforted her.

Comfort – something she really had experienced much as a child. She loved her father, and while he tried to comfort her at times he also tried not to openly challenge Cora and that more than anything hurt her. That apparently hadn't changed much in this reality. Cora was raising her daughters with the specific purpose that one if not both of them would be high royalty. She and Zelena were constantly being told how to carry themselves, how to dress, how to interact with members of a court, and all the other tedious things Regina had gone through alone.

But she wasn't alone in this time. And there was something else that she couldn't quite understand – a feeling her last memory had given her.

She and Zelena were with their mother. It was a magic lesson. As the older sister Zelena's lessons were often more advanced than hers, but not by much. Either way Cora always insisted on Regina being present. She was reading one of her mother's spell books while Cora was trying to get Zelena to make a plant grow to the point she would be able to get the plant's tentacles to retrain a person. It wasn't going well, but their mother was not letting up on her.

Regina figured she was no more than 13 in the memory, Zelena about 16.

"This is a simple spell," Cora said in frustration. "I think you are willfully disobeying me."

"And why would I do that mother?" Zelena smiled.

Regina cringed inwardly at the exchange. Zelena had been challenging their mother more than more lately and she didn't want to see what would happen when Cora decided she had had enough. Having been on the receiving end more than once of one of her mother's tirades, it was not something Zelena should be tempting.

She wasn't sure what had changed recently, but Zelena being the first born always seemed to be their mother's favorite. But lately she seemed to be doing all she could to topple that dubious standing.

"Maybe if you can't do it, we should ask Regina to try," Cora said, and Regina looked up from her spell book. And there it was she thought, the thing that seemed to have rocked the relationship the two daughters and mother had. About a month ago they had been at another lesson and Zelena was struggling at it and Regina, not even knowing why she did it – that wasn't entirely true Cora was yelling at Zelena over and over again and Regina had gotten angry. That angry had fueled her magic which had felt more and more lately and Regina had ended up setting fire to a cart in her anger. Fire was not a skill she had ever mastered – and one at her age was still a year or so away, according to Cora.

But when she had done it, she hadn't liked the look her mother gave her – pride. And it didn't appear that Zelena liked it either. Later that night Zelena, who had been silent most of the day to her and everyone else, asked Regina how she had done it. She told her that she didn't really know how, only that she was so angry at their mother. And she had wanted Cora to stop yelling at Zelena.

She hadn't even confided in her sister of how she could feel her magic more and more each day it seemed. The truth was it scared her.

"Mom always says our magic is tied to our emotions. You must have some righteous anger little sis."

But here they were again where Cora was pressuring Zelena and now Regina was being brought into it.  
"Regina come here," Cora said.

Regina put the book down and went and stood beside Zelena.

"Now, show your sister how it is done,"

"Mother. I don't think …"

"You don't need to think Regina, just do it."

Regina looked at Zelena who shrugged. "Go for it."

Regina looked at the plant. She knew this was beyond her skill level and she had no desire to play one of her mother's manipulative games.

"Do it," Cora ordered.

Regina felt the anger build in her and for a second she was sure she could do whatever she wanted to do to the plant. But instead she let go of the anger. "No," she said and she turned to walk back into the house.

She heard Zelena yell her name a second before she felt the plant's tentacles grab her and lift her into the area. She struggled against them as her mother approached her.

"You aren't strong enough to challenge me. I suggest you learn that lesson quickly," she said. "Now when I tell you do something you obey. Now use your magic to unbind yourself."

"Mother, she …" Zelena started to say but Cora waved her hand and Zelena flew backwards hitting one of their wells. Regina watched as Zelena didn't get up. "Zelena," she called out hoping her she was only momentarily dazed. "Zelena!"

She glared back at her mother and felt that anger again – only more so this time. The plants unwound from her body and as soon as she hit the ground she ran over to Zelena, who still hadn't moved. She shook her trying to get her to wake.

"She needs help," Regina pleaded to Cora.

"Don't be dramatic. Your sister will be fine," Cora said dismissively. "But you my dear. Your power is growing isn't it? And here I thought Zelena would be the one, but maybe I was mistaken."

Again, Regina didn't like how her mother looked at her – with weird amount of happiness like she just discovered a new present.

Zelena started to come around and Regina turned her attention back to her as their mother walked away. Zelena was a little shaken the rest of the day but seemed to be ok.

"I hate her," Zelena confessed that night when they were alone in bed. "She cares nothing for either of us."

"She's our mother. It's not like we can do anything about it."

"Not yet," Zelena smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's not something we need to talk about right now. I am sorry I couldn't protect you from her."

"I didn't protect you either."

"Yes, but I am the older sister, it's kind of my job to watch out for you. You know keep you from doing something incredibly stupid like you did today."

"It's ok. No matter what our mother does, I know you will always be at my side."

"That is true. Sisters forever," she said. "Now let's talk about something different. Did you notice the new stable hand?"

"His name is Daniel."

"Oh, is it. Does my little sis have her first crush?"

Regina didn't say anything but she felt her cheeks blush.

Emma returned from her tour with Aaron, while she knew she should go seek out Regina, she didn't. She returned to her room and sat down.

She thought about what she had learned and her conclusion hadn't changed from her immediate reaction.

She couldn't bring herself to tell Regina about the curse.

She had seen how worried Regina had gotten when she said the word curse the night before, and again this morning when she tried to dismiss the idea of it.

No matter what Regina had done, no one deserved the fate that had been placed upon her. She had no real concerns about Regina finding out about it. She couldn't ask anyone about it, and it was common knowledge Aaron said that it was never to be brought up in the queen's presence. As nice as this Regina appeared to be apparently people understood there were some lines that weren't crossed.

Emma was resolved that the only course of action was to get herself and Regina back to Storybrooke where they belonged. Maybe that would be enough to break the curse.


	15. Chapter 15

Note: Just want to say thanks to all of those who are sticking with this story. I am sorry it is such a slow burn, but the plot demands it. Oh, and I do not own OUAT or its characters

"What did you learn?" Regina asked, once Emma returned from her tour. Regina had been surprised to see Aaron first and not Emma. She learned Emma had returned to her room so Regina sought her out.

She thought it odd as Emma had made it clear she was keeping an eye on her.

"Are you feeling ok?" Emma asked seeing that Regina looked to be about a shade paler than normal.

"Just a headache," Regina said. "What did you learn?"

"Aaron is completely devoted to you," Emma said. "It was a little difficult to get him to open up because he doesn't know me he was suspicious I think."

"Does that mean you learned nothing?"

"No, only that I didn't get all the answers I might have hoped for although I did get a fine tour of the castle so now I know enough not to get lost."

"That's more than I can say," Regina said taking a seat on a chair at a small desk. Emma was sitting on the edge of her bed. Regina sensed Emma was nervous for some reason. Regina disliked being in the dark and especially disliked that Emma being more in the know than her.

"I can take you around the castle later," Emma said. "As your adviser on personal security no one will find it unusual. As you may have noticed there are often guards around you. I am sure there are two down the hall right now."

"That is not unusual. I usually kept standing guards all around my castle before."

"Yes, but before you did that because you were well, not a popular person, so having guards around then was probably a sensible move. What I couldn't understand was since that is not the case here, why all the guards?"

Regina shrugged. "It's really not unusual. It's like the president having secret service agents around. The kingdom has a standing army too, but we don't appear to be at war with anyone. Although given the position of the kingdom in the land overall, its southern border is the most vulnerable to attack. There is a mountain range there – a stronghold of the ogres. We're the first line of defense."

"Aaron mentioned that. Apparently when you were given this land part of the agreement was that you would always keep a standing line of defense along the border. You have a system set up that if there is an attack messengers go out to warn the other kingdoms. You even have a back up system to that messenger system."

"Have there been attacks?"

"Yes, but never anything that has required assistance from the other kingdoms. Lately there have been small skirmishes. Your general, a man named Steadman Kane, believes the ogres have been testing the border for weaknesses. He thinks a bigger attack may be imminent. He opposed your decision to keep up the rotation of the troops. You two had a disagreement over it because the current rotation had already been on the border for an extra two months. He has been scarce ever since."

"Steadman Kane?"

"You know the name?"

"I know the last name. Maybe a brother or something," she said. "Reginald Kane was in my employ before as queen. He was … challenging to deal with even for me. He tended to jump the gun on things, act before my approval. I had him removed from duty after he raised a village to the ground – killing everyone there. He said he had good information that Snow was there. She was not. I knew she was not. I had him dismissed."

"Let's hope this Kane is nothing like him."

"So the personal guard here is because of a fear another ogre war?"

"No," Emma said. "There have been scattered attempts on your life over the years. Some of them have been retaliation for your past."

"What is that supposed to mean? I thought people generally liked me here."

"They do now. But you can't be called the Redeemer if you hadn't done something to be redeemed from. And before you ask I don't … your back story is common knowledge throughout the land. It wasn't like I could claim ignorance about it to find out."

She rubbed her head again.

"Are you sure you are feeling ok?"

"You said some of the attempts were about my past. What about the other ones?"

Emma licked her lips and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "The others weren't serious attempts on your life. Rather the goal wasn't to kill you. It was just to get your attention. They were … Zelena."

"Zelena?" Regina stood. "That's not possible."

"How so? She hasn't made a secret of her feelings about you."

"That was before. We … we were sisters. She loved me. She wouldn't have. You must have mistaken what Aaron was telling you."

"Excuse me," Emma said. "Are we talking about the same Zelena? She's the one who stole your heart, imprisoned Rumple and who knows all of what she has done."

"Don't talk about my sister," Regina said.

"Why are you defending her? Is this because she gave you a shiny new life?"

Regina's anger surged and a fireball appeared in her hand.

"Temper, temper little sis.'

Regina and Emma turned to the mirror on the side wall. There was Zelena.

The fireball disappeared from Regina's hand. "Zelena?"

"I take it you didn't use magic to get my attention," Zelena said. "What I have warned you about that anger issue little sis? Not that I am upset. It's always good to see you. Who is your friend?"

Regina looked at Emma in confusion.

"Oh wait, not a friend," Zelena said. "I assume so since you were looking like you were about to incinerate her. Well whoever you are, why don't you do yourself a favor and leave? I don't have much time to talk my sister before our connection wears off."

"I am not going anywhere," Emma said, and she moved to the mirror. She pulled it up off the wall and smashed it against the floor.

Regina backed up and was looking at her hand.

Emma sighed. "You don't do magic. You don't because the more you do magic the more you weaken the barrier between here and where you banished Zelena to."

"I banished Zelena. I banished her," Regina said sitting back down. "That's not possible. I idolized her. I loved her. Why?"

Emma saw the look of pure pain in Regina's eyes. "I don't know your personal reasons for it. But you, Zelena and your mother almost destroyed this land with war. Your army was on the verge of a total victory. Then for whatever reason you switched sides. You helped my grandmother and the other kingdoms prevail. There was much discussion on what to do about you. Many who wanted you to pay for your previous crimes, but Eva took a risk. She gave you this land under an agreement with the other rulers. You have never let the other rulers down since."

Regina stood and left without saying a word.


	16. Chapter 16

Note: Again I do not own OUAT or its characters.

The guards looked at Emma curiously when she came out of her room and knocked on the queen's door less than a minute after Regina had left her room. Emma knocked again, and swore under her breath, opening the door and acting like she had ever right to do so.

"What are you doing in here?" Regina asked. "Generally when one leaves, they don't intend on being followed."

"Yeah well 'generally' went out the door with us a while ago. We need to talk about all of this."

"No, we do not. Now get out."

"What was that all about in there?" Emma said. "Why were you saying those things about Zelena? You were talking about her like … like you knew her."

"I did. I do. I … the pendant. Zelena said when she changed the past, when it was all done, she and I would still be our current ages. The pendants would help us integrate into us of this time. We would have our new memories. Except when I got here I didn't have any of those memories. I think because I spit the pendants into two it kept me from fully integrating into me of this time."

"I am beginning to see why you have a headache, thinking about this time stuff is beginning to give me one. Ok, so no new memories, we knew that already. But in there you were ready to make me a charcoal briquette for suggesting that Zelena isn't the greatest person in the world."

"The memories are starting to come to me. I remember growing up with Zelena. The last memory I had, I was 13 I think."

"Wow. What was that like, growing up with Zelena?"

"It was nice, so far at least. She was like my best friend, and that is saying something as I have never actually had a best friend," Regina said taking a seat on her bed. "Our mother, well apparently it doesn't matter what time we are in, she would push and push us all the time with our magic. Zelena would try to deflect some of it from me. But something is different in this time. I was raised to use magic from the very beginning and even at that young age I can feel that the magic is strong, stronger than that I think it should be at that age. I think in this time, my magic is a match for Zelena's."

"That's not exactly a bad thing."

"Except I can't use the magic or I risk lowering this barrier to wherever she is banished to. What I need is the rest of my memories back?"

"No, what we need is to get the hell out of here and back to Storybrooke."

"I will find a way to return you," Regina said. "But without the use of my magic, it may be a little difficult. Not impossible, mind you, just difficult. No wonder no one here fears me. They all know I can't do anything. Now I know what your boyfriend must feel like having only one hand."

"Not my boyfriend," Emma said. "And people don't fear you because you don't have the use of your magic. They don't fear you because you are one of the good guys. These people actually like you. I am pretty sure Aaron would lay down his life for you. You became a symbol of hope for people. Aaron said people flocked to your kingdom when you established it because for many of them they had nothing. They were either ran of their homes or lost their loved ones in the war and they saw you embrace a second chance and they too wanted their second chance."

"It's why I let Zelena do this in the first place. I wanted a second chance. But the second chance I wanted … I don't think I got it."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Regina said. "I am tired. I would appreciate it if you showed yourself out. Perhaps tomorrow you can take my on that tour."

"Good night. Get some rest."

Regina walked over to her mirror. It would be so simple to call up some magic and see if Zelena would appear. She could understand why she might betray her mother and switch sides, but what could have happened for her to betray her sister. Even now, after hearing what Emma said, she still loved Zelena.

There had to be more to the story.

Emma woke to find the chamber maid dropping off new clothes for her. "I hope I didn't wake you Lady Emma."

"It's just Emma. Just like I said yesterday."

"Sorry, I meant no offense."

"It's ok," she said stretching as she got up. "I see my new clothes are done."

"Yes, Queen Regina was adamant they be done quickly."

"Do you know if her majesty is up yet?"

"Yes. She was up and breakfasted a couple of hours ago."

"I was hoping she would actually get some rest last night," Emma said examining the clothes, which made her miss the chambermaid studying her again.

"You are concerned about Queen Regina?" the chambermaid asked.

"Um, yeah. I mean she hadn't slept well the last couple of nights."

"Oh, the queen never sleeps much."

"Why is that?"

"I do not know. I have probably said too much already. I will go."

"No. Wait, Rachel was it?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask you a question? I swear the answer will go no further than the two of us."

"What is it?"

"The queen, is she happy?"

"It's not really my place to say."

"It's just everyone here seems to be both happy for her and sad at the same time. This curse … it weighs heavy on her doesn't it?"

"It has gotten worse in the last couple of years. She doesn't sleep as much. Sometimes she will get up in the middle of the night and walk up to the gates and just stare out at the land. All we want is for her to find her happiness."

"Thank you Rachel. Will you let her majesty know I am up and I will be over as soon as I change,"

"Yes Emma."

When Emma made it over to Regina's room she was surprised to see someone in there already.

"You must be Emma," the man said. He was tall, dressed nicely with a chain mail vest and a sword. And he didn't look happy to see Emma.

"Emma, this is General Steadman Kane."

"General Kane," Emma said nodding her head a bit but there was no way she was going to shake his hand or anything. He wasn't trying to hide the sneer on his face.

"I was reassuring her majesty that her safety is always foremost on my men's minds and a personal security adviser was not needed."

"I haven't questioned that your men aren't doing a good job General. I am merely here to scope things out and make suggestions if I see something."

"And what expertise do you have that gives you the right to make such suggestions?"

"Enough," Regina said, and Emma could see the tension in her already this morning. She must not have slept for more than a couple of hours. "Emma is here at my request."

"Yes, your majesty," Kane said bowing to her. "If you will excuse me then. Perhaps we could discuss troop movements later."

"Yes later would be good."

He left and Emma stood her ground with her arms crossed to show she would not be intimidated.

"Well, he's an ass," Emma said the moment he was gone.

"Yes and the similarities between him and the other General Kane from the other time are remarkable. He could be that man's son but he'd be too old for that. He must be a brother or first cousin."

"Yeah well, I stick my assessment that he's an ass. Are you ready for your tour your majesty."

"Learning some respect?"

"No," Emma said. "Just keeping up appearances. Now get your ass moving."

Regina rolled her eyes, but followed Emma out nonetheless.

An hour later.

Regina laughed.

"What?" Emma said. "All I am saying is that you would do your kingdom a lot of good if you passed out deodorant to every citizen. I haven't smelt an odor this strong since co-ed high school gym class."

"And they say queens are spoiled," Regina said.

"Oh like you don't think it's a good idea. Miss I have to be dressed as perfect as possible."

"One should not dress down from their station. You would do well to remember that princess."

"I got to say, having been here to the Enchanted Forest twice, I am not sure this world would have been able to handle Princess Emma."

"I suppose not," she said as the continued to walk around the castle. "What is that door up ahead that those guards are stationed at?"

"I do not know."

"Great tour guide you are."

"Hey it's your castle, not mine."

"Shall we go see what's behind door number one then?"

Emma followed her as she approached the guards. One of them opened the door. "Your majesty."

"Thank you," she said moving forward and down some steps. Emma could see the way was lit by torches every so often. She also noticed the complete look of shock on the guard's face when she followed Regina in.

They went down a set of about 15 stairs and down a short hall that opened up into a small circular room. There was a white marble, rectangular structure in the middle of it. She watched as Regina stepped forward hesitantly. She placed her hand on top of it and ran it along the edge.

"What is it?" Emma asked. The chamber itself was unadorned and this was the only thing in it.

Regina turned and gave her an uncomfortable looking half-smile. "It seems that no matter what timeline I am in, I construct some monument to her."

Emma realized then that this was a tomb.

"Your mother?"

"Yes," Regina said turning her attention back to the monument.

"I'll just head back up. Let you be alone for a bit."

"No. It's ok. I've spent more than my fair share of timing mourning by mother," she said.

They got back upstairs and Emma sensed the tour was over as Regina went silent. They hadn't made it five steps past the door when Regina almost collapsed on the floor. If it wasn't for Emma being there, she would have. Regina cried out like she was in pain and gripped the sides of her head. Emma looked back at one the guards. "Get help. Now!"

She eased Regina down the floor. "Regina, what's wrong?" But she saw Regina's eyes were glazed over. They were wide open but didn't seem to be seeing Emma.

"Daniel," Regina yelled. "No!"


	17. Chapter 17

Aaron watched as Emma paced back and forth outside of the queen's room. They were both waiting for the royal physician to come out and give them a report on Regina's condition. Aaron had to admit that he liked Emma, but he wasn't sure what to make of her.

He had known Regina for years, and knew while she would give anyone a chance, she still held people at a distance. He felt lucky to be one of those people who were close to her. Which was why he found Emma to be something of a mystery. She was vague about where she came from and how she knew Regina. Regina acted like they had known each other for quite some time, yet she had never mentioned her to Aaron until she had asked him to look for her. Now she was staying in a room next to the queen's – a room that was hardly ever used and never by someone who didn't have a royal title.

Seeing her now though it was obvious Emma was worried for Regina.

"My father was first in Queen Regina's service," Aaron said. "He was a member of Queen Eva's army. He was assigned to a unit that was supposed to watch her, guard her, actually I am not sure any of them knew what they were supposed to do when Queen Eva ordered them to stay with Regina throughout the war. Of course there were many who wanted nothing to do with her, my father included. But that all changed when they actually went out to war with her. She used her magic to not only defeat her sister but also to protect people. The first battle they were in together, my father said she was exhausted but she would not rest until all of men's wounds were tended to. My father has a scar on his shoulder – from an arrow. He still likes to tell the story of how he got it and how it was Queen Regina who bandaged it for him. My father was loyal to her from that day on which is why he was one of the first to come here with her."

"She used magic last night, do you think that had anything to do with this?"

"She used magic?" Aaron asked concerned.

"Yes, briefly. And Zelena she sort of showed up in a mirror."

"It wouldn't be the first time she had used magic, and she has never collapsed like this afterward," Aaron said. "The question is why she used magic?"

"She and I were having a heated discussion and she got a little angry. It was my fault."

"I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Regina has worked hard to keep her emotions in check. She once told me it was her emotions, especially the negative ones, that fuel her magic. She probably felt worse about it than you did. But tell me did Zelena say anything to her?"

"I didn't give her a chance. I sort of busted the mirror."

Aaron laughed. "I knew I liked you Emma."

They had to wait another half an hour before the physician came out.

"How is she?" Aaron and Emma asked at the same time.

"She is awake now. As for what happened, I do not know. The queen insists it was nothing. I suggested that she remain in bed for the day and get some rest."

"Can we see her?" Emma asked.

"Be my guest. Maybe one of you can convince her to take the sleeping draught I left at her bedside. She hasn't been sleeping again by looks of it."

"We will see what we can do," Aaron said. "Thank you."

They entered the room to find Regina lying down on the bed on her side staring at the wall. "Your majesty," Aaron said.

She didn't look at them.

"Regina," Emma said. "Are you ok?"

"I am fine. Aaron could you attend to any matters of state on my behalf?"

"Of course," he said looking at Emma.

"Thank you. I wish to be alone now, if you don't mind."

"Get some rest," Aaron said. He grabbed Emma by the elbow and led her out.

"Maybe one of us should stay, she is clearly not fine."

"She is not, but when the queen says she wants to be alone, you leave her alone. Come on, you can assist me with a few things. If nothing else it will keep your mind occupied for a bit."

Emma glanced back at Regina's door one last time and then followed Aaron.

By that evening, Regina was still not allowing anyone into her room. Any food that was brought up to her was taken back downstairs untouched. Emma had tried on several occasions to get Regina to talk to her but she would only lie there staring at the wall.

Emma had guessed Regina had gotten more memories back, although she had no idea it would be that painful for her. Regina had been in immense physical pain, but that was nothing compared the desperate yelling for Daniel that had left her mouth. Emma still got chills thinking of how it was full of emotion and devoid of hope. She had never heard that much despair come from another human being.

Emma couldn't sleep so when she heard Regina's door open she went to her own door and peaked out. She saw Regina walking down the hall. She was still wearing her clothes from earlier. Once she disappeared from sight, Emma followed.

She kept a distance back, wanting to see where Regina was going before revealing her presence. It was late into the evening so not many people were around. Those who were greeted Regina but Regina walked by them as if they weren't there.

It was common knowledge by now Regina had collapsed earlier and wasn't feeling well. Emma passed by those same people and saw how sad they looked that their queen was hurting.

They left the castle proper and Emma saw Regina was headed toward the stables. A sleepy stable hand asked if he could do anything for her, but she brushed by him. "Go back to sleep," Emma said when she reached him. She was standing about 20 feet back from Regina who walked over to an iron ring mounted next to one of the stalls. She could just reach it to touch it. There was a bridle looped through it. She seemed to be studying it before walking a few feet away, where she stood staring at the ground.

She sunk to her knees and Emma, fearing the same thing might be happening to her, rush forward. But as she got there, she saw Regina wasn't in pain, she was just staring at the floor.

"Regina," Emma said kneeling beside her. "Regina, talk to me."

"I lost him,"

The words were barely audible to Emma, but she didn't need to ask who he was.

"Is this my destiny, to be hurt over and over again? Is this who I am – the person who isn't allowed to have happiness? Why must Daniel pay for my sins? Would it matter what time we are in, would he forever die because of me?"

She was practically pleading with Emma to give her answers.

"Come on," Emma said pulling her up. "You're exhausted and you need to sleep."

She was surprised when Regina didn't protest. Instead she let Emma lead her back to her room. Regina laid back down, and Emma went to her closet and found some bed clothes for her. "Here, you should change."

Regina reluctantly stood and to Emma turned away as quick as her mind would let her when Regina proceeded to strip right there. She sensed more than heard Regina moving away from her and she risked a look over her shoulder. Regina had moved over to the mirror. She was standing there naked holding the clothes Emma had gotten for her. Her back was to the mirror and she was looking behind her at it. Emma found herself moving forward.

"Did you… have you always had those scars?"

Regina broke down sobbing into the cloth in her hands. Emma led her away from the mirror and on to the bed. "It's ok. Let it out," Emma said as she held on to her.

The chamber maid entering the next morning woke Emma. Rachel stopped a couple of steps in. "Sorry," she said leaving immediately. It took Emma a couple of seconds to realize number one, she wasn't in her room, and number two, she was in bed with a still naked Regina, who was snuggled up against her finally sleeping. Emma carefully moved trying not to wake the finally sleeping queen.

She got off the bed and moved the covers over Regina. She wasn't even sure how long Regina had cried last night but it seemed to go on forever. It was heart-wrenching for her to hear and know there was nothing she could do to comfort that level of emotional pain.

Daniel's death had led Regina down the path to becoming the Evil Queen. She was never the Evil Queen in this timeline, yet it appeared Daniel's death was no less of a major even in Regina's life.

She could still hear the desperation in Regina's voice.

After assuring herself that Regina was dead asleep, Emma slipped out of the room.


	18. Chapter 18

Note: I do not own OUAT or its characters. Most of this part is a flashback that was hard to write.

Even as Regina woke, she didn't want to get up. The feelings from her latest memory onslaught had wrapped her in a cocoon of pain like she had never known before. She had a vague recollection of Emma being near her but she and everything else was nothing but background noise to her right now. Nothing else mattered.

"Daniel," she whispered.

As their lips parted she could only smile at the luck that had brought Daniel into her life. She kissed him again knowing their time together was short. "I wish we could stay here forever," she said as they lay against each other under a tree by the creek where they had a picnic lunch. Their horses were tied up nearby.  
"Why can't we?" He said.  
"Mother will be home tonight," she said already the feelings were fading with the thought of her mother's return. She had been gone a fortnight and Regina was ready to declare it the greatest time of her still young life.  
"Regina," Daniel said, bringing her focus back to him. "I want us to be together."  
"That is what I want too,"  
"Be honest with me, do you see that happening as long as your Mother controls nearly every facet of your life?"  
She knew the answer was no. Cora had been grooming her daughters for greatness or so Regina had heard her say often enough in her 17 years. Things had gotten even worse two years ago with the passing of their father. He died in his sleep one night, something Zelena doubted. Regina tried not to think of the implications of it if Zelena were right about her suspicions. Zelena and Daniel were her only saving graces in this life. Without them she wasn't sure she would have survived being raised by Cora.  
Her silence though was enough confirmation for Daniel's question. He sat up and she followed suit.  
"I want to be with you," she said again.  
"Then run away with me."  
He said it so matter of factly that she was unsure he had said it.  
"Leave this life behind. We can find our own way in life," he said. "You deserve more than I could ever give you, but I see how this life wears on you, and I want to take you away from it."  
She smiled, not so much because of the words but because of the idea of a life with Daniel. She didn't care if she had to muck stables at his side. She just wanted to be with him.  
"What about Zelena?" She said. "I can't leave her here with mother."  
"Then give her the choice of coming with us.  
"You wouldn't mind if she came with us?"  
"Of course not. I know how important your sister is to you. I wouldn't ask you to leave without her if that is what you want."  
She hugged him tight. "When do we leave?"  
"We will need to leave at night. How soon do you think you can get away?"  
"I want to leave tonight," she said. "But we should probably wait a few days. Plan it out. If my mother finds us after we leave here there is no knowing what she will do."  
"I won't let her hurt you."  
They shared another kiss and as they pulled away this time he held a ring up to her. "Will you marry me?"  
"Yes," she beamed as she accepted the ring. He placed it on her hand and she admired it knowing she could only wear it for a little bit before hiding it away so her mother didn't find it.  
"I love you," she said.  
"I love you too."  
"Regina!"  
She was startled by her name being called out a second before Zelena came upon their spot. "There you are," she said. "We must go. Mother has returned early."  
She scrambled to her feet and before she could say anything Zelena was already walking away. They gathered their horses and walked out the woods with them. Zelena was mounting her own horse.  
"You better wait and return from another way," she warned Daniel. "Mother thinks Regina was out alone for a ride."  
Regina gave him another kiss, hid the ring away in her pocket, before mounting her own horse and catching up to Zelena who had started back.  
"You risk too much with him," Zelena warned her. It seemed Zelena was forever warning of the consequences if Cora learned of her romance with the stable boy. But her sister had always covered for her so she could meet with Daniel.  
"I know what I am doing," Regina said a smile on her face still.  
"Do you?" Zelena asked.  
"It will all turn out Zelena."  
Zelena said nothing else as they returned home. Cora was waiting outside of the stable for them.  
"What have I said about riding a horse in that manner?" Cora said.  
"Sorry mother," they said in unison  
"Come. We have much to talk about."  
They followed her inside where she laid out a plan to them. Regina sat horrified as her mother explained how all the trips she had taken in the past year were because she had been working with others to amass an army.  
"For what purpose?" Zelena asked.  
"Why to conquer of course," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You two are finally ready to embrace your destiny. No where in the lands are there three more powerful in the art of magic than us. In five nights we will travel to the southern border where the army is ready to march first on the Midas kingdom."  
"You can't ..." Regina started to say. "We can't. I won't."  
Her mother was on her a second later, her one hand gripped around her neck, her sunk into Regina's chest clutching her heart. Regina gasped at the intrusion. She couldn't catch her breath.  
"Mother stop it," Zelena said.  
But her mother held on. "You forget who you are speaking to you ungrateful little bitch. I can destroy you at any time and the moment you cease to be useful to me I will kill you. Do you understand my daughter?"  
She tried to nod.  
"Let her go," Zelena said this time using her magic to knock her mother off. Regina coughed as she tried to take in oxygen.  
Cora glared at her oldest daughter. "I should have gone with my instincts and abandoned you at birth."  
"I wish you had. Any life would be better than this."  
Cora looked at Regina. "Go to your room. We will discuss your insolence later."  
Regina had no intention of leaving Zelena alone with Cora, not with the pure anger she could feel coming off both women.  
"Go," Zelena said to her.  
"No."  
"Regina go," she said. "This conversation between mother and I has been a long time coming."  
"That is true," Cora said.  
"Regina go. I will come to you later." Zelena nodded her assurance to her little sister. "Remember your promise." Reluctantly Regina left, fearing for her sister. After their father's death Zelena had an exacted a promise from her, and not knowing the implications then she had promised. It was simple, Zelena had made her promise that when the day came that Zelena was done with all the abuse Cora had put them through, Regina would leave it to her to talk with their mother on their behalf. Regina knew now that talking would have little to do with it.  
She returned to the room she shared with Zelena and sat down, pulling out Daniel's ring. How could a day of such promise end this way.  
But she would never know exactly what happened between her sister and their mother.  
All she knew was the aftermath.  
She was pacing the room as the sun had dropped. She had seen her mother walk off to the stables about 20 minutes ago, but Zelena hadn't returned. She waited five more minutes and then went in search of her. She found Zelena sitting at the table they had all been sitting at not two hours ago.  
"Zelena?" But Zelena didn't say anything. She walked around so she could see Zelena's face. She saw the most haunted look on her face. "Zelena? Zelena." She shook her sister's shoulder. She looked up at Regina. "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean sorry? What did she do to you?"

"I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry. It just came out."

"What just came out? Why are apologizing to ..." she trailed off looking toward the window. Her mother had been headed to the stables. Regina ran for the front door and was sprinting across the grass. She flung open the stable door to see Daniel down on his knees Cora standing in front of him - his heart in her hands.  
"Mother no, please."  
"Daniel here was telling me of your plan to leave me."  
"Please. Don't . I will stay. I will do whatever you want. Please don't kill him."  
She dared to take a few more steps inside. "I will do anything you want."  
"I know you will," she said. "Turn toward the stall."  
"Please mother."  
Cora exerted a little pressure on Daniel's heart and he cried out in pain. Regina, tears flowing down her face, turned toward the stall. She saw Zelena standing in the stable doorway. She shook in fear, knowing any disobedience on her part would be a death sentence for her love.  
"Raise your hands up and grip the iron ring."  
She barely had the height to do it but she lifted herself up on her toes to do it.  
"Daniel, do you love my daughter?" Cora asked him.  
"Yes with all my heart," he said glaring at her.  
"As long as I have your heart you will do as I say. Now stand."  
Regina couldn't see him but she knew enough her mom's magic to know she could force him to do her will.  
"Bind you love's hands to that ring. Make it tight so she can't escape."  
Regina looked over her shoulder as Daniel approached. She tried not to cry out as he took the bridle and bound it tightly around her wrists and through the ring. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see him doing this. Once he was done, Cora had him step back. She walked up to her daughter tugging her hair back. "It's time you learn the lesson that I have been trying to teach you since you were a child. And that is you will do exactly as I say when I say it."

"Yes mother," she said.

"I'm afraid that will not be enough my dear. Your disobedience, your betrayal will cost you."

"Please, don't hurt him."

"You really do love him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry my dear, I have no intention of killing him," she said. "After all, your sister needs to be taught a lesson as well."

She said this last part so only Regina could hear.

Cora stepped away. "Daniel, pick up that horse whip." Regina turned her face away as she saw him do it. Cora made him stand behind Regina. "Now whip her, hard."

Regina screamed as the leather whip came down upon her back. "Again."

The second time was even worse as she felt her dress rip. Her skin stung and all she could do was scream.

"Stop it," Zelena pleaded coming forward. "You're hurting her."

"That's the idea," Cora said. "Again Daniel, and don't stop until I tell you to stop."

She heard the whip crack and then felt it sear the flesh and she knew she had to be bleeding. She could barely make out Zelena pleading as it came down and landed on her again and again. "Stop."

She slumped down against the wall, her legs no longer supporting her. She was sobbing from more than just the pain.

"You want him to stop for good. The next time you will have to make the decision," Cora said to Zelena. "Put your hands on his heart." Cora held it out in her hands and Zelena looked at her sister, her face also ruined by tears. But she didn't move.

"Daniel, resume whipping her," Cora ordered.

"No," Zelena said even as the leather hit her once more.  
"Then stop him," Cora said.

"No, please."

"It's a simple choice, him or Regina. Perhaps you wish them both to die. They didn't seem to care about you when they made plans to run off."

No, Regina tried to say but she couldn't get her mind to function through the pain. The whip hit her again and she started to lose consciousness. She heard the crack of it again, but this time no pain came with it. Had she moved past the ability to feel it? She risked a look behind her. She barely saw her sister standing there, something like ash or dirt running through her fingers.

This time she screamed and it came out. "Daniel! No!"


	19. Chapter 19

Regina got out of bed walked to the mirror and looked once more at the scars on her back. Knowing how she had gotten them made them standout even more to her. She remembered Zelena cutting her down from the iron ring and she had immediately gone to Daniel's body and wept over it, wrapping her arms around him begging him to come back to her. Zelena had tried to get her to leave the stables several times, but she couldn't leave him.

Her mind was so consumed with grief that she lost all sense of anything else around her. Even as Zelena physically grabbed her and dragged her from that place. Zelena took her back to their room and tended to her wounds, but not all the marks would fade and she was left the cruel reminders etched across her back.

The next morning, Cora entered the room.

"We leave tonight," was all she said.

Regina sat up in bed feeling tired and sore.

"I'm sorry …" Zelena started to say but Regina held up a hand to interrupt her.

"Don't," she said simply. "Don't ever say his name in my presence. Get dressed, we leave tonight."

As Regina looked into the mirror she knew she had intentionally numbed herself, turned off her feelings, might as well have torn out her own heart after that night. They boarded a carriage with Cora that night, and Regina had not said two words to Zelena that entire day. Even though it hurt her back every time the carriage hit a rut or if she leaned back too long against the seat, she never said one word or expressed any pain. She openly wore Daniel's ring around her neck – practically daring her mother to say something, to punish her for it. But Cora said nothing and they began their trek to meet up with this army.

Zelena had tried to reach out to her in the days following on the few occasions they were not in their mother's presence. She saw the concern in Zelena's eyes, but it only made Regina think of Zelena standing there with the remains of Daniel's heart pouring through her hand.

Once they arrived Cora disappeared with some men to discuss their plans. Regina merely went to the room provided to her and Zelena, who decided instead to walk around the small castle they were staying in. Over the course of the next 10 days the sisters would learn more about the plans to overthrow the Midas kingdom and their part in it. It was the eve of the attack when Zelena tried once more to reach her sister.

"You can't possibly want to go through with this," Zelena said. "Let's leave, run away from this place, away from her."

"There is no place to go that she wouldn't find me."

"You don't know that."

"Leave if you want."

"I am not leaving you alone with her. I wouldn't do that."

"And I wouldn't have left you behind. Did you really think I would?"

Zelena took a step back.

"Yes, dear sister, through the haze of pain and fear, I heard what she said to you, that I didn't care enough for you when I made plans to leave with him. You should have known that wasn't true," Regina yelled at her. She allowed the only feeling she could muster to course through her – anger. "We were all going to leave together. Da … he even suggested it before I could. He knew I would never leave you behind with her. But what, you didn't hear that part when you came upon us in the woods? You heard I was leaving and you what told her?"

"No. Please Regina, calm down. Let me explain."

"No, you let me explain what is going to happen. You can leave if you wish, perhaps that would be the best thing for you to do. I am going to stay. I am going to stay and do whatever she wants me to do. And I will wait. I will wait until the time she lowers her guard and I will kill her. Once that is done, I will tear my own heart out and crush it. I will find him in the afterlife or in another life. No matter how long it takes, I will find true love again."

"Don't," Zelena said. "Don't become her. That's not you. You aren't a killer. Please, we… we've tried to so hard, for years, to not let her get to us like that. You can't. I am sorry about Daniel."

Zelena flew back and hit the wall and found herself restrained there.

"I said never speak his name," Regina said approaching her. "You held his heart in your hands. You held something that belonged only to me and you …"

She was unable to say more, and Zelena saw some of the anger fade from her sister, as she released Zelena from the spell that held her.

"Stay if you want, but don't try and stop me."

"I'm not giving up on you," Zelena said as Regina walked out on her.

Regina still felt the residual anger from her memories as she looked in the mirror, and she felt it rise up in her to a level that she knew made her dangerous. She pulled on a robe, faced the mirror and with a wave of her hand she performed a simple spell and waited.

It didn't take long for Zelena to appear within the frame.

"Twice in a matter of days," Zelena said. "To what do I owe this to?"

"How did she die?"

"Who?"

"Our mother. How did it happen?"

"Is this some sort of game Regina? If it is, perhaps you shouldn't have risked what you are risking for something as silly as this?"

"How did she die?" she said with more force this time. "Tell me."

Zelena looked at her sister, confused, by the way Regina was acting and what she was saying.

"What is wrong?" Zelena asked. "What has happened to you?"

Regina was stunned by what sounded like concern in Zelena's voice. She looked away trying to hold on to that anger she had just felt. "Regina, what is wrong?"

She looked at Zelena once more, tears forming in her eyes, and she hated herself for showing weakness.

"Where is his …. Where is Daniel's ring? What happened to it?"

This time the shock on Zelena's face was evident.

"You know what happened to it. Why are you asking me things you already know the answers to? What has happened to you?"

Regina realized she should never have done this, she should never have used magic. She backed away refusing to look again in the mirror.

Zelena's features looked panicked. "Regina the connection is fading, you have to keep it going."

"What the hell is going on?" Regina turned to see Emma coming toward her and the mirror. "What have you done?"

"Regina, listen to …" but the image disappeared.

Emma grabbed each of Regina's arms. "What did you do?"

"I just needed to know."

"Needed to know what?"

"This life, I needed to know what happened."

"I don't think Zelena is the best source of information."

"You don't understand," Regina said tearing away from her.

"Then help me understand. Help me understand all of it. Why did you trust her in the first place? Why did you betray us and help her? This second chance you wanted, was this about …. Was this about Daniel?"

Regina's pained expression was all the answer she needed. "He died here too, didn't he?"

Regina nodded.

"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I don't know what else to say but I am sorry. I can't imagine what that must be like for you to have to go through it twice."

"It wasn't the same as before."

"How so?"

"I don't know Snow. I never met her or rescued her."

"Then who?"

Regina looked to the mirror.

Emma took her hand and led her away from the mirror. They sat on the bed.

"I know we aren't exactly friends, and maybe we never will be, but if you want to talk about it I am here for you."

Regina didn't say anything at first and Emma almost got up to leave.

"He asked me to marry him …" she began.


	20. Chapter 20

NOTE: I do not own OUAT or its characters

Emma left Regina's room and went to find Aaron, whom she found out on a battlement with Kane.

"How is she?" Aaron asked.

"Better. She ate and she is laying back down for a bit. I wouldn't expect her to be up and around until tomorrow."

"That's good. Hopefully she does not have another of those attacks," he said. "The doctor is still unsure what it was and therefore we have no way to prevent it or cure her if it is something more serious."

Emma suspected it would continue to happen now that she knew it was tied into Regina getting her memories. Although it wasn't the physical toll it took that worried Emma it was the emotional. Regina was more than capable of being up and moving, she had chosen not to. After listening to Regina tell her what happened in this time line with Daniel, Emma didn't blame her.

Regina had gotten upset in the telling, breaking down and crying, and then getting angry again to the point Emma had to calm her down – fearful she would use magic.

The entire story had made Emma sick.

She thought about what Cora had done to Regina in this time, and it made her wonder what Regina endured before all of this. Without Zelena, Cora would have only had Regina to focus on, and Regina had said before that she hadn't used magic growing up so what had it been like for her to grow up with that kind of mother?

Emma had another concern – as Regina regained these memories, she would remember the nature of the curse. Given her already shaky emotional state learning what had been done to her could set her off in unknown ways.

"If you will excuse me," Kane said. "I have matters to attend to."

"You should take Emma with you," Aaron said.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Kane said, not even trying to mask his dislike.

"As her majesty's chosen adviser on matters of personal security, she should be part of the planning for the logistics of the upcoming ball."

"What ball?" Emma asked.

"The Unity Ball. It is our turn to host it so with that many dignitaries coming in Kane works on a security plan and drilling the guards on different scenarios."

Emma was beginning to pick up on things, the ball must be a way of celebrating the kingdoms uniting to overthrow the invading army.

"I wish her majesty would have listened to me when I suggested she not host this year. With the activity on our border it's not a good idea."

"It comes around only once every five years," Aaron said. "There was no way she would have asked one of the others to host. Besides it's as much as celebration of our queen as it is the kingdoms. You will love it Emma. There are days of games, feats of skill, storytelling, music and more all leading up to the grand ball."

"Storytelling?"

"Yes, they come from all the kingdoms telling stories from all the lands, but they all do stories of the war, different heroes and quests, and of course our queen,"

"Sounds nice," Emma said. Just what she needed, a celebration of something Regina couldn't remember and probably didn't want to celebrate anyway, a bunch of other royals who would be expecting a different acting Regina and storytellers who could end up telling Regina things better left alone. She was inclined to agree with Kane that hosting this was not a good idea.

"If you are coming, let's go," Kane said.

She hated this man the more she was around him, but for appearance sake and information gathering she went with him.

Over the course of the next week Emma spent more time with Kane than she would have liked.

"The man is a condescending ass," she said.

"Would you like me to have a word with him?" Regina asked as they sat in her study.

"No thank you. I can handle it. I can't figure out why everyone else here seems to be reasonably nice except him."

"Having the level of responsibility he has can be stressful," Regina said.

"That's not it. You and him have apparently had a series of disagreements about issues and so he is being a dick. And I don't like the way he looks at you."

"How so?"

"I don't know. I get this creepy vibe whenever he looks at you. It's like he is angry and picturing you naked at the same time."

"And this bothers you?" Regina asked curiously.

"Yes. It should bother you too."

"Yes, but why does it bother you?"

"Are you joking? First of all you are the queen and he's like your general and employees should not look at their bosses like that. Secondly, I've dealt with guys like him before. He thinks he is untouchable so it doesn't matter what he does. Thirdly, he has this whole jealousy thing going on about me being your adviser like no one else is allowed to consider your safety but him. Finally, he is an ass."

Regina laughed. "All acceptable answers. He does remind me of the Kane from before. They have to be related in some way."

"The other Kane, did you ever …?"

"Did I ever what?"

"Have sex with him?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Because that is the vibe I get from this one – like he wants to have sex with you or maybe you did have sex with him."

"You think I had sex with him?"

"Maybe."

"I suppose it's not beyond the realm of possibilities."

"Ugh."

"He's not unattractive."

"His personality makes him unattractive."

"Even if I have slept with him, I have no intention of doing it again," Regina said. "Besides we have other things to discuss besides Kane."

"Like getting us home,"

"Getting you back home isn't actually difficult. As you have seen, there are ways to move between realms. Portals can be made as long as you have the right tools like a magic bean. I figured it was the least invasive way to handle it. It's only a matter of finding one in this time. I have some feelers out. They do exist, that much I have found out. And procuring one could be fairly easy once I found out who has one. There is something else I wanted to show you. I received a copy of the guest list for the ball. Most of the names on the list are people I have never heard of, but there are a few that I do recognize."

She got up and walked over to her showing Emma the list – pointing at a couple of names in particular.

"My parents," Emma said.

"Yes, which begs the question, how are you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"The pendant brought me here to me of this time line and it's more slowly than I would like integrating me into this timeline. If you are here, it would suggest that you don't exist in this timeline because you aren't experiencing what I am."

"So whatever Zelena did, I don't exist here?"

"That would be my guess."

Emma sat there contemplating what that meant.

"Sorry," Regina said finally. "I shouldn't have brought you here at all, and for that I am sorry."

"No you shouldn't have," Emma said. "Just like you shouldn't be here at all. You talk about opening a portal to get me home, and don't think I haven't noticed you never include yourself in that concept, but how does sending me home help exactly. We need to get there in time to stop Zelena from doing this at all."

"I am not going back," Regina said taking her seat back behind the desk.

"You can't be serious."

"I have nothing to go back to."

"Really, because I am pretty sure you have a son back there."

"A son that you plan on taking to New York when you return? A son who you make the decisions for like I don't exist and I didn't raise him. When I made the decision to allow Zelena to do this, I did it knowing that I was saying good-bye to Henry forever."

"We can work out something concerning Henry. I should have told you from the beginning that I was planning on returning to New York. I am sorry for that. We will sit down and we will come up with a plan to share custody."

"I am not leaving," she said matter-of-factly.


	21. Chapter 21

Emma decided not to pressure Regina about going home. She didn't want Regina getting upset or arguing with her. After all, she needed to get back home and pissing Regina off probably wasn't going to make it happen quicker.

There was a lot of prep work going into the Unity celebration and ball and it seemed like each day there was something else to consider or to get done. Kane and her continued their dislike of each other but both had seemed to come to an unspoken agreement that what mattered was keeping everyone safe. She still didn't care for the way he looked at Regina, and more and more she didn't like it when he would pull Regina aside to discuss some matter with her. He always placed his hand on Regina's arm or on the small of her back – not the way a general should be touching the queen in her opinion.

She was convinced that if Kane hadn't slept with Regina (the Regina from before) he wanted to now.

Regina was gracious to him like she was everyone else. Emma had to admit that Regina was filling out the role of the Redeemer quite well. She seemed to be actively interested in the kingdom's programs to help people find jobs, or make sure people were fed. When she had dinner with newcomers to the kingdom she would ask them questions, and if there was a child, well forget drawing Regina's attention away from a kid. Just two night ago, it was a four-month old baby who Regina held in her arms throughout dinner.

Emma wondered if that is what she looked like when she held Henry in her arms as a baby.

On the evenings when Regina wasn't at state business, Emma and her would either eat in her study or her room. Emma would tell Regina about living in New York with Henry and Regina would tell her about Henry as a child. This evening Regina was recounting how hard it was to potty train their son.

"Wait," Emma said after she was done laughing at some of the hell Henry put Regina through when trying to be potty trained. "How come I remember potty training Henry it wasn't hard?"

"I don't know. When I did that, it's not like I had a lot of time to plan out each memory and give it to you. It was more like using a spell to give you a collection of memories that made sense to you and to Henry. There would never be a reason for you to question that they weren't real."

"And I didn't until Hook showed up at my door. Did I tell you when he first showed up, he kissed me?"

"Why?"

"I guess he thought maybe a true love's kiss would bring my memory back."

"So, you and him aren't …"

"Aren't what? True loves? Hardly."

"Oh. Not that there is anything wrong with that if you know he makes you happy."

"I don't know, part of me feels like all this true love talk is just it talk. I am supposed to be the product of true love – the savior, but surely there are other people out there are who are also the product of true love. I can't be the only one."

"I am certainly not," Regina said.

"I wasn't meaning anything by it."

"You didn't offend me. I have no illusions – at least not anymore – of who my parents were. Still, I loved them. When my father had that heart attack, I cried for days and if it weren't for Zelena I don't know how I would have gotten through that or most of my childhood."

Emma didn't say anything at first. Regina had been making more and more statements like this lately – saying things like she had been the one who had lived through this timeline.

"Have you decided what you are wearing to the ball?" Emma said changing the subject and also having a little fun at Regina's expense.

"No," Regina said flatly.

There were currently 11 dresses hanging in her closet – all of which had been specifically tailored for the queen to wear to this ball, but Regina couldn't decide on which one. Emma enjoyed asking her if she had made her choice at least once a day. There was even a betting poll going around the castle that Emma may or may not have suggested to someone to start to take odds on which dress she would pick.

Personally, Emma was hoping the whole thing would become a moot point because they would be gone by then. Regina had informed her that a magic bean had been located and she was in the process of obtaining it. Of course then Emma had the issue of convincing Regina she had to return.

Regina stood up and Emma grabbed her before she fell.

"Another memory?" she asked, but Regina didn't respond. Her head ached worse than any migraine.

"Bed," she choked out.

Emma got her over there and laid her down. Regina closed her eyes as the pain, and emotions from the past welled up in her. She felt the bed sink a little and risked opening her eyes to see Emma sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her in concern. Regina started back at her, determined not to get washed away in another tide of memories. She kept looking at Emma and finally the pain began to subside.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes," Regina said. "I think I am."

"What did you remember this time?"

"Not much. It seemed to stop. I concentrated on you … on being here in the present, and it just stopped."

"Then you didn't see anything?"

"No. I did. I saw the battle at Midas' castle. His army was superior to ours, but because Zelena, my mother and I used magic in the battle, it made the difference. It was strange though – the last thing I saw was my mother striding into the throne room to confront King Midas, but it didn't look like him."

"What do you mean?"  
"My memories tell me that was King Midas, my memories from here, but he didn't look like how I remembered him from before."

"You know you probably are just getting confused from the two sets of memories."

"Maybe."

"I should go. Let you rest."

"Stay. I mean, will you stay? If it happens again, I feel like maybe I can control it better if I have something to concentrate on."

"Yeah," Emma said. "I can stay."


	22. Chapter 22

NOTE: I do not own OUAT or its characters

When there was a knock on her door the next night, Regina was sure it would be Emma. She had gone to sleep the night before with Emma in her room, but when she woke the other woman was gone. Then all through the day, she would feel like someone was looking at her, but when she looked around to see who it was she never saw them – or rather she never saw Emma looking at her.

She didn't know if her request for her to stay the night had freaked her out or what. She knew it was unlike her to do such a thing, but she couldn't help that she felt much more grounded when Emma was around. She had chalked it up to being near the other half of the pendant at first, but now she wasn't so sure.

She opened the door. "General Kane," she said in surprise.  
"May I come in your majesty?"

"Yes," she said moving aside. She shut the door once he was through it. She hadn't really given the man much consideration, but after hearing what Emma said about him she could admit she was curious.

"You looked surprised to see me at your door. Were you expecting someone else?"

"No," she said moving around him. "Is there something specific that brings you here so late?"

"I think you know," he said grabbing her arm and pulling her in for a kiss.

The kiss was forceful and Regina pulled back immediately.

"So it's true," Kane said smiling. "You have replaced me in your bed with your new security adviser."

"Excuse me. What would give you the idea that me and Emma are doing anything of the sort? And how dare you even suggest it?"

"Save me the righteous indignation Regina," he said. "Every one in the castle has been talking about how you and this mysterious Emma have barely been apart since she got here. Then this morning she was seen leaving here, where she had been all night. And that wasn't the first time. You could at least tell me the truth."

"Not that it is any of your business, but I am not sleeping with Emma. The truth is she and I have a history of not getting along well. But I owe her and for now she is here, but this is in no way a long-term arrangement."

"Then what is wrong with us returning to our arrangement," he smiled.

"Nothing beyond my complete lack of interest."

"There is something different about you Regina. Most of the people here say it's because of this Emma, but I am willing to believe you if you say that you are not pursing a relationship with her. There is something off about you though. I have been studying you since I returned, and I think I am fairly qualified to say it."

"I knew another Kane once. He was an arrogant man who didn't know when not to overstep his bounds. I dismissed his service easily enough. Don't make the same mistake."

He laughed, "don't compare me to my father. We've been through this. I am not him."

"What makes you think I was referring to your father?"

"What other Kane do you know? You know I am not like him," he smiled. "My loyalty is to you. I know better than to overstep my bounds. Have I not proven it time and time again to you?"

"Reginald. Reginald Kane. He is your father?"

"Yes," he said looking concerned. "What is wrong?"

He came closer and she felt like she was going to get sick. It wasn't possible that this was his son.

"I … I am not feeling well. Please show yourself out."

"Your majesty," he bowed, still eying her. But he left and that is all that mattered to her. She was out that door a couple of minutes later and knocking on Emma's door. She didn't even notice that Kane hadn't left the hall completely as he watched her slip into Emma's room.

"He is Reginald Kane's son," Regina said. "That's impossible. Reginald was my age. I may have even been a year or two older than him. There is no way this Kane should be his son."

"You don't know that he is,"

"He just said he was."  
"So what? You don't know that it's even the same Reginald Kane from your timeline. This could be a coincidence. There is still a lot about this world that you don't know."

"I don't believe this is a coincidence. He didn't blink an eye at me making reference to another Kane that I had dismissed from my service. He knew I was talking about his father. There is something not right here. First King Midas isn't how I remember him, and now this."

"Which is further proof of why we both need to get out of here."

"I told you before it's not up for a debate."

"And I told you that I am not dropping it."

"Don't waste your time. There is nothing back there for me."

"What about Henry?"

"I told you …"

"No don't pull that you already said goodbye to him. You love that kid, how can you even think to leave him behind? What exactly was your ultimate plan here? Did you think once you were here in your cozy little set up that you could bring Henry here to live? You want to get on me about taking him back to New York, what exactly was your plan for him?"  
"I didn't have one."

"Bullshit."

"I didn't have a plan for him. I really was letting him go."

"Why? Why would you go through all you've done to prove you love him if you were just going to let him go? I am not buying it."

"I thought … my plan was that … I was going to get a second chance with Daniel. That was my plan. That is why I did this. I wanted a second chance to be with him. And we were going to get married. And we were going to have kids. I was going to be happy. But … happiness it would seem is not something I get to have no matter what time we are in. May be that is the curse I am under – cursed to forever not have my happy ending."

It was hours after Regina had left her room and Emma still couldn't sleep. Even unknowingly Regina was touching on the nature of the curse. Emma didn't have any choice she decided – Regina hadn't left her a choice in coming here, so she wasn't going to give her a choice about going back. When it came time to go through that portal, she would take Regina by force if she had to. It may be the only way to save her.

She was determined that she had to whether Regina appreciated it or not.

The night before she had stayed up too, but at that time she was lying in bed next to Regina watching her sleep. For the most part she seemed to sleep well, but there were a couple of times where her sleep seemed to be disturbed. She wondered if Regina was dreaming of Daniel and what had happened. She gently put her arm around her, hoping maybe her presence would keep her calm. Maybe she was fooling herself but she could have sworn that Regina had slept more peacefully after that.

She had woken with Regina pressed against her and she made a hasty retreat from the bed and into her own room. Throughout the day when Regina wasn't paying attention Emma would study her. She wasn't the same Regina from Storybrooke she had determined, and she wasn't sure yet if that was good or bad. While it was nice to see Regina fitting in so well to her role as queen, Emma couldn't help but feel like the whole thing was wrong on a whole other level.


	23. Chapter 23

"Would you stop it and be serious," Regina said to Emma who continued to smile.

"Come on, you know you want to play along," Emma said as they walked through the market.

"I do not," Regina said trying to keep her voice low so no one would hear them.

"Look at the guy over there, the one selling the pottery, what do you think? I am guessing in our world he'd be a lawyer. He's kind of got that gut like he's living high on the hog."

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina said trying not to smile. "A used car salesman at the best."

"Alright, then what about her? The woman walking toward us with the fruit."

The woman walked by nodding to the queen before passing on. Regina took a quick look behind her at the woman as she walked away.

"Prostitute," Regina said.

"Did you just check out her ass?"

"I did no such thing.."

"Sure looked like it."

"I was merely making an assessment."

"An assessment that she'd be a hooker."

"What in your opinion would she be?"

Emma did a quick look back at her, but this time the woman saw she was being checked out. She smiled and winked at Emma. "Hooker," Emma said turning back around. "Definitely a hooker."

They continued to walk through the market, followed by an entourage that never seemed to leave Regina's proximity except when she was in her private quarters or study. Emma was trying to find ways to keep bringing up home to Regina without seeming overly obvious about it. While she was fully prepared to take Regina by force, she was going to try and use that only as a last resort.

Besides a couple of apples they didn't buy anything, although Regina gave some money to some kids. It was clear the people here loved their queen. Emma watched as kids had been following them or running behind stalls and peering out – all just to get a glimpse of Regina. She wondered how many of those same kids had sat at dinner with her where Regina would pay attention to them and make them feel special.

But Emma was getting more worried. Twice today Regina had greeted someone by name but didn't seem to know how it was that she knew their name. Whether she was conscious of it or not more of this time's Regina was bleeding through into her Regina. She shook her head, when had she started to refer to her as "her" Regina.

They made their way back into the castle proper – headed toward what Emma had dubbed "the really big room with the big table where people liked to talk a lot." She didn't really care for its real name.

"Gina!" a little boy, no more than five or six, yelled as he came running to Regina, who bent down and picked him up.

"Sam!" she said tickling him.

Make that three times today, Emma thought.

Aaron came up to them. "That's my son Sam," he said to Emma. "Regina is like his favorite person in the world."

"I can see that. She sort of has that affect on kids."

"Yes she does," Aaron said as they watched Regina put Sam down only to start an impromptu session of tag with him. "She seems to be doing a lot better these last couple of days."

That was a matter of opinion, Emma thought, but she understood he meant she was more like herself – the self Aaron knew.

"She's happy," Emma said.

"She has been happier since you've been here. I wanted to make sure you knew that. She hasn't had anyone in quite a while that she has been close to. You are a good friend to her."

"Yeah, about that. I am not planning on being around much longer, I don't know if Regina mentioned that or not."

"She did not," Aaron commented. "Why would you be leaving?"

"I have a home to get back to."

"You know you would be welcome to make a home here."

"I know but my family back home."

"Oh, I didn't realize. You have someone to return back home I take it?"

"Um …I have a son. His name is Henry. He is 13."

"And his father is there too?"

"His father is dead."

"I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

"You know you could bring Henry here. You see how Regina dotes on kids, even teenagers. He could be happy here. You could be happy here."

"It's a little more complicated than that."

"How soon do you plan on leaving?"

"I was hoping to be gone before the ball."

"You can't leave before then. Please, promise me you will at least stay through the celebration."

"I will think about it."

"Think about what?" Regina asked as she neared.

"Emma was telling me she plans to return home, but I was trying to secure a promise that she would be here through the ball."

"Of course she will stay through the ball, won't you?" Regina said.

"Would this be the same ball that you are apparently going to naked since you can't decide on a dress?" Emma shot back.

"Ha. I have decided."

"Oh really, and which have you chosen?"

"Come to the ball and you will find out."

Aaron couldn't help but smile at the interactions between the two women. Now he just needed to find a way to convince Emma that her home was here.

"Gina can I go the ball?" Sam asked.

Regina picked him again. "You are still a little young and will be in bed when the ball begins. But I promise when you are older I will even dance with you at the first ball we can do so at. I may even put on a ball just to do it."

Sam beamed at her. "When I grow up, I going to take my dad's job."

"I think your dad will still have it when you grow up, but we will find a place for you here."

"You no grow up," he said proudly. "I grow up."

"Thanks," Regina said, not sure what to say. "But don't grow up too soon."

"Sam, we should be getting you back to your mom," Aaron said. Sam gave Regina a hug and a kiss on the cheek before Aaron took him.

"He's cute," Regina said as Aaron took him away.

"You think all kids are cute."

"All kids are cute."

"No they aren't."

Regina rolled her eyes at her and then looked around the room. "What say today we play hooky?"

"Really? You mean not sit here for two hours and listen to mindless chatter."

"I get it, court business is not your thing, you could at least pretend to pay attention."

"I pay attention and I even make sensible suggestions."

"You mean like your suggestion that we retrofit the castle with indoor plumbing?"

"It's a great idea. This whole chamber pot system has to go."

"I agree it has its disadvantages but you can't expect the people here to not think you are a little crazy when you say things that sound completely foreign to them."

"Fine. I will try harder. Now about this playing hooky, what did you have in mind?"

Regina took her hand and started leading her out of the room. "You will love it."

"I thought you said I would love it," Emma said feeling anything but comfortable in the stable. Especially after Regina had told her what had happened with her and Daniel she wondered how Regina could stand being here.

"You will love it," Regina said as she supervised two horses being saddled up.

"You know I've lived mostly in cities. I haven't really had occasion to ride horses."

"Which makes my idea even better," Regina said. "Ah General Kane, thank you for coming."

"Is he coming too?" Emma asked annoyed.

"No," Kane said. "But if you are going out alone with the queen, I insist you do so armed." He held out a sword in a scabbard to her.

"Um thanks," she said, not sure about how she felt about wearing a sword while riding a horse.

"Here," Regina said taking it. Emma was surprised when Regina proceeded to wrap the belt around her waist and buckle it up. "You want to leave a little slack to it," she said, running her hand along the leather to make sure it was on straight and had enough slack to it for Emma to be able to pull it out of the scabbard if needed. Emma looked over at Kane who was not hiding displeasure. Do not think about where her hand is at, she told herself as Regina readjusted the buckle.

"There all set."

"Your majesty," Kane said. "If you are going to do this, I must ask that you stick close to the castle. The guards will observe from the ramparts."

"Emma is not an accomplished rider so I don't plan on pushing any limits today. I just want to get out and ride."

"As you wish your majesty," he said bowing before leaving.

"Are you going to ask his permission to breathe next?" Emma said.

Regina shook her head. "Let's mount up."

"Yeah, about that."

Regina took her hand and again and led her over to the horse Regina had chosen for her. "Emma this is Destiny. Destiny this is Emma."

"Um hi."

Regina moved Emma's hand up and had her stroke the horse's main. Regina spoke softly to the horse while having Emma maintain contact with it. Once she was ready, Regina instructed her on how to put her foot in the stirrup and pull herself up. She was sure she looked stupid doing it, especially when she saw how graceful Regina did it on her own mount.

They went slowly out of the stable and down to one of the castle gates. Emma was sure as they left the castle that her ass was going to be sore tonight.

But true to her word Regina kept them at a leisurely pace in sight of the castle walls. As they road Regina told her about her first riding lessons and her first horse. The love and appreciation she had for horses was evident. They were about to turn back to the castle when they both heard the cry for help. Emma saw a horse and rider in the distance. The horse appeared to be out of control.

Regina reacted quicker, digging her heels into the flank of the horse and loosening her grip on the bridle to let it run. She headed in a direction to cut the other rider off. Emma, being less adept at riding, had trouble getting her horse to turn in that direction and Regina already had a head start on her.

She was going as fast as she dared to on the horse when she saw Regina run parallel to the runaway horse, lean over and grab the other horse's bridle. She watched as both horses slowed down and finally stopped and the riders dismounted. She just got close enough to see the other rider as she hugged Regina.

"You've got to be kidding me," Emma said as she saw her mother, Snow White pull back from Regina and look at her.

A screeching noise came out of nowhere and Emma dismounted quickly, pulling out the sword and stepping in front of Regina and Snow just as a flying monkey came into view. The creature dipped once, twice and then thought better of it flying off. More riders came in from the direction Snow had came in from. On the lead horse was her father. He dismounted hugging Snow first and then hugging Regina.

"Thank you," he said to Regina in all sincerity.

"You're welcome. What happened?"

"That thing came out of no where and spooked Snow's horse," Charming said. "There were others that came down out of the sky attacking. We held them off but Snow was out of sight by then. When I saw the other one heading toward you, I was worried."

"This young woman saved us," Snow said looking at Emma.  
"And to who do I owe my thanks?" Charming asked.

"This is Emma," Regina said when Emma continued to stand there without saying anything. "We should all get back to the castle before Kane sends out half the army looking for us."

Emma got mounted again and found herself riding beside her father, who of course had no idea he was her father. Regina and Snow were just ahead of them.

"So Emma," Snow smiled at Regina. "We have much to catch up on. And here I thought I was the one who would be delivering the biggest news."

"What news would that be?" Regina asked.

"Charming and I are expecting our first child."

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh. Um … that is big news. Congratulations."

"Thank you. Charming of course hopes it will be a boy. I am holding out for a girl."

"I think you might get your wish," Regina said, looking back at Emma. Then she looked down at the pendant around her neck –the pendant that allowed her to be integrated into this timeline. The other half of which was around Emma's neck. Regina realized now that it wasn't that Emma didn't exist in this timeline, she just didn't fully exist yet. She hadn't been born yet.

"How far along are you?" Regina asked.

"Just over three months. I would have written to tell you but I wanted to tell you in person."

Three months. Not that she needed six months, but Regina realized she had to get Emma back to Storybrooke before baby Emma was born.

"So tell me about this Emma," Snow smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

They returned to the stable and once they were off the horses Regina led Emma aside.

"Flying monkeys," Emma said to Regina.

"I know," she said. "I am guessing that means I banished Zelena to Oz. The question still remains why I did it."

"Maybe the Zelena of this time isn't so different than the one in ours."

"I don't believe that. You don't know her like I do. She's a good person."

"She must not be that good if you banished her. Regina, I know you want to believe that this place is better than our time, but …"

"Don't," Regina warned. "You are here until the ball, and then I will send you home."

"We need to talk about this."

"No we don't. Do you want to know what your mother told me on the ride here? She said she is pregnant, which means she is most likely pregnant with you. What do you think happens when that baby is born six months from now? The pendant is doing its job with me; do you think it won't with you?"

"Wait, are you saying that if I am born here then this thing will merge me with the baby?"

"I don't know, but are you willing to take that risk?"

"No, I'm not and while we are at it, maybe it's best if you took that damn thing off."

"I will not, and I suggest you keep yours on as well. We don't know what will happen if we take them off."

"Regina, come on," Snow said approaching them. Emma watched as Snow linked arms with Regina and led her toward the castle.

"Don't feel bad," Charming said. "My wife will be occupying her time for at least the next few hours. That gives us some time to get a drink and talk."

"They are friends?" Emma asked unsure.

Charming laughed. "When I married Snow, it was kind of like getting Regina in a package deal. Snow adores her; sees her as second mother, best friend and sister. They don't see each other often so when they are together, well it's hard to get them apart. Snow will know everything about you within in an hour and probably ask Regina another 100 questions after that."

"Why would she ask about me?"

Charming put his hand on her shoulder. "Regina doesn't just going riding with anybody. Let's go get that drink and I will give you all the tips on how to handle Snow, as much as one can handle her. As for Regina, well you are on your own there."

"We should probably tell Kane about those flying monkeys."

"We shall and then we will have that drink."

...

"Mother sends her best," Snow said as she walked with Regina to the castle. "She is sorry she won't make it to the ball, but I think she also knew everything would be so busy she would not get the chance to really talk to. She does request that you come see her soon. If I were you I'd make sure three months didn't pass before you visit. I imagine when I return home that I will have to give her a full report."

"I imagine so," Regina said, not really sure what she should be saying. She was not used to this level of familiarity with Snow; although part of her felt it was natural. She wasn't a complete fool; she knew her perceptions of this place were changing. While her memories weren't assailing her anymore it seemed like emotions were.

Whenever she was around Aaron she felt like this man, whom she barely knew, was someone she could tell anything too. She felt a friendship – a connection to him – and she was feeling that now with Snow. But it was a different kind of feeling than what she got with Aaron. Part of her wanted to look at Snow as an adult would a child, but part of her felt like they were on the same level. It was somewhat disconcerting.

And if Snow's mother was alive it meant that Snow wasn't queen – not yet.

"There is something different about you," Snow said when Regina lapsed into silence. "I can't put my finger on it yet, but it won't take me long to get it out of you. After all, I insisted we come here early in order to spend time with you before the celebration. Once the other guests arrived you will be too busy for girl talk. I received a message from Abigail and she too plans on being here a couple days early."

They reached the castle proper and one of her retainers greeted Princess Snow, so at least that confirmation was made for Regina. She gave orders for accommodations to be made for Snow and her people.

"Where would you like the Princess to stay since her normal accommodations are occupied?" he asked.

"Occupied?" Snow said looking at her. "Who is taking up the suite next to yours?"

"Lady Emma is staying there," he said.

Snow smiled. "I am sure the next closest rooms will be fine for me and Charming," she said not even looking at him. "Come Regina, we must talk."

Regina thought Snow was going to pull her arm off dragging her away. Snow was clearly familiar with the layout of the castle as she hurried her way up to Regina's room. Once the door was closed behind them, she asked, "Lady Emma, who is she? And what exactly have you and Lady Emma been doing?"

…

Emma was surprised when Charming took her to an inn where they sat down and he ordered the Enchanted Forest equivalent of draft beer. She had already had an occasion to drink it and found these people firmly didn't believe in alcohol limitations in their drinks.

"That was some quick work out there with the sword. Who taught you?"

"Um my father knows how to use a sword really well so I guess I have just picked up some things from him. The sword was definitely easier than the horse."

"Not a rider?"

"No. The only reason I went was because Regina insisted."

"I suppose when a queen insists you can't really argue with them."

"No, but that doesn't keep me from arguing with her."

"How did you meet her?"

"She actually met my son first."

"You have a son."

"Yes, he is back home with my parents right now. My stay here is only temporary. I will be leaving after the ball."

"Then we don't have much time to become friends," he said. "You saved my wife's life so that gives you an edge in the friendship department."

"Regina saved her first."

"Yes, it was lucky you two were out there. They say there is no more accomplished rider in all the lands than Regina, but she isn't known to go riding much. Most of her riding is done in a carriage on trips. Don't get me wrong, she loves horses as evidenced by her fine stables and the investment she makes in a strong stock for breeding purposes, but to go riding isn't typical of her."

"Because of what happened with Daniel?"

"She told you about that?"

"She did."

"You must be very close to her then. That is not a story she tells. It's as much a part of the lore about her as everything else, but it's not a story she shares with people. She's never even told Snow, although she had told Snow's mother Eva."

"I don't that she told me for any other reason than she needed to talk about it and I happened to be there. Frankly, I could have gone without hearing it as it only made me want to track down Cora and run a sword through her."

She took a drink of her ale, lifting the heavy tankard to her lips not because she was thirsty but because she needed to rein in her emotions a bit. The thought of what Cora had done to Regina made her sick with anger.

"You care about her, don't you?"

The question caught her off guard, not just because of the question but because of who asked it.

"I … I do care," she said, and she knew it was true. She did care about what happened with Regina. It was why she needed Regina to leave here with her. Regina didn't understand what was in store for her if she stayed.

"That is good. I am sure we will get along then. I may joke about Snow and Regina occupying each other's time when they are around each other, but I too care about the queen's well-being. She has proven that she is a good person. Has she made mistakes, yes, but she doesn't hide from them. She could have turned out much different than the person she is if she had made different decisions. Lucky for us, she made the right ones."

"Yes she did," Emma said. In this timeline Regina had apparently made the right decisions. She had made things right and people loved her. Back home that wouldn't be the case. It wasn't the first time that she wondered if she had any right to take this away from Regina. "Do you mind if I ask you a question concerning Regina?"

"Not at all."

"I know about the curse."

"Everyone does."

"Yes, but I am not sure I've heard the true story of how it happened or rather why it happened. Do you?"

Charming looked sad for a moment, staring at his tankard. He leaned it over a bit as if to gauge how much was in it. "If we are going to have that talk, we're both going to need more to drink," he said motioning to the barmaid to bring two more.

…

"Whatever do you mean?" Regina asked.

"Don't be coy with me," Snow said. "She's staying in quarters I normally stay in. I at least deserve to know who she is."

"She's my personal security adviser."

"Since when do you have a personal security adviser?"

"I thought it would be a sensible position to have and Emma had the qualifications I was looking for. It's as simple as that."

"Have there been more issues with Zelena?" she asked in all seriousness.

"Not really, but I have reason to believe that attack about there on your caravan may be related to her."

"Please tell me you haven't still been talking to her through the mirrors."

Regina didn't answer.

Snow sighed. "I know you want to believe your sister can be redeemed like you were, but you've been holding on to that hope way too long. I don't mean to be cruel, and you know I love you, but you risk more than your life every time you talk to her. If those things were really sent by her that means the barrier is weakening just like you thought last time we talked. I take it you haven't figured out where it's weakening at?"

"To the south of here," Regina said not knowing why she said, but knowing it was true. "She's my sister. I know there is good in her."

"There was good in her," Snow said, and Regina got the feeling this wasn't the first time she and Snow had discussed Zelena like this. "I can understand why you would forgive her for killing your mother. In a way, I am glad she did, not just because of what Cora was capable of, but because it prevented you from doing it. Can you imagine what your life would have become if you had killed her, what kind of person you may have become? You've told me what Cora was like so believe me when I say I understand that you can forgive Zelena for that. And if that was all she had done, no one would have even discussed banishment. She'd probably been celebrated for it. But what she did to you, you can't forgive that."

"She didn't have a choice," Regina said. "Mother would have killed me. How can I condemn her for the rest of her life for a choice I would have made? I keep playing it over and over again in my head and I can't help but think that if our roles had been reversed I would have crushed Daniel's heart if it meant saving Zelena's life."

Snow looked at her in confusion for a moment. "And how did she treat Daniel's love for you in the end? She cursed you to spend an eternity looking for that love. I know you have been getting more and more nostalgic for how things were with you and Zelena these last few years. I don't blame you. I can't imagine what this burden must be like for you and knowing your own sister is the cause of it. I didn't want to tell you this, in fact mom made me swear not to tell you, but she's sick."

"What?"

"She's sick that is why she isn't coming. I almost didn't come but she insisted and you know she always gets her way."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. The physicians say it's a respiratory problem."

"I'm sorry," Regina said in all sincerity. "I would have understood if you couldn't have come. If I had known I would have come to see her sooner."

"I know you would. And while I worry about her, the physicians don't believe she is any immediate danger. My point in telling you is that you are my mom's oldest friend. I sometimes forget she held the title of best friend before I did. You once told me that immortality isn't a fairy tale; that it's not something you should wish for. I didn't understand at the time. I was a child, but this with my mom has given me a little glimpse of it. You had to see my grandmother Eva die of old age – the woman who started you on the path of redemption. She swore before the other kingdoms that they could trust you and you didn't waver in it which is why they gave you this kingdom. And grandmother Eva was what less than 20 years older than you at the time? Now my mom. It's easy for me to forget that you and I aren't contemporaries; that we aren't the same age. But I guess I never really thought about the fact that you don't see me that way. Zelena did this to you. You've said it yourself; you stopped believing a long time ago that the curse can be broken. I know it must seem impossible, but even if you don't believe, it I do. A love like you and Daniel had, it's out there still. You can be happy again. You can find true love again and you will break this curse."


	25. Chapter 25

Emma returned to her room vowing that she was never going drinking again with her father – at least not drinking anything stronger then a Bud Light. She lay down on the bed and hoped the room wouldn't start spinning.

"Did you know?"

Emma sat up – too fast – "Holy hell woman, what are you doing in here?"

"Did you know?" Regina asked more sternly now.

"Did I know what?"

"The curse. Did you know Zelena made me immortal?"

"Yes," Emma sighed, the amount of alcohol she drank no longer her main problem.

"And you felt no need to tell me?"

"No. I didn't figure I should worry you over it. How did you find out?"

"Snow."

"Wow. She really can't keep her mouth shut. Let's just get back home and forget any of this ever happened," she said lying back down. She wasn't in the mood for Regina to throw a temper tantrum.

"Go back home," Regina said. "That is your grand plan here?"

Emma sat back up. "Yes it is my grand plan. We shouldn't be here in the first place, but you had to go and make yet another selfish decision which landed us here. When are you going to learn that magic hasn't done you any favors and it can't give you a happy ending? Stop acting like a heart-broken little child and grow up. We need to get that damn magic bean, go through the portal and this all disappears."

"You know I was actually beginning to think you weren't an idiot. Silly me. Going through the portal doesn't change this timeline. It only takes you back to your world. But this here continues to exist and even if I were to go back it wouldn't change anything. I would still be immortal. I have wanted to die since the moment Zelena crushed Daniel's heart in her hand and now she has taken that away from me too. You know what, you aren't the idiot here, I am. They gifted me this kingdom to rule. Do you think a castle was sitting here when I took over? No. Do you have any idea how long it takes to build a castle? To build a kingdom? I don't even know how long it has been since I have been queen. But hey it makes sense now – Kane and his father, hell Aaron and his father and his son Sam who wants to serve under me. They all know it. They all know I am stuck here like this forever. And you think I can simply go back to Storybrooke and the curse breaks. The only thing that would be waiting over there for me is for me to watch my son get old and die before I do!"

Regina stormed out of her room. Emma thought about following her, but decided she had said enough for one night. "I am an idiot," she said before laying back down.

Regina returned to her room, angry at Emma, angry at Snow, angry at everyone.

She called forth her magic and waited in front of the mirror, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Are you at least going to tell me what is wrong this time?" Zelena asked as she appeared.

"How could you do this to me?" Regina asked. "You were my sister, my best friend. How did you even do it? Mother tried to find the right spell for years, how did you do it?"

"I am still your sister. Now tell me what is happening with you."

"I don't know. I don't know anymore," Regina said. "All of it is muddled up in my head. But I don't understand how you could do this to me, how could you curse me with immortality?"

"This again," Zelena said as if they had talked about this a hundred times before, and maybe they had.

"Yes, this again. How could you?"

"You were going to kill yourself Regina. I couldn't watch you every second of every day. You didn't leave me any choice."

"I wouldn't have …" she started to say knowing she wasn't sure.

"You would have," Zelena said matter-of-factly. "Maybe the years have dulled your memory but after Daniel, you changed. You became mother's little pet, learning everything you could from her in order to defeat her. All with one goal in mind – to end your own life. You couldn't really believe I was going to stand by and let that happen."

"How do I break the curse?"

"You know how."

"True love's kiss? Don't patronize me."

"There is another way," Zelena smiled. "And you know it."

Regina was getting frustrated and she could feel the connection between them closing.

"I will speak with you tomorrow," Regina said. "No more hints, no more innuendoes, you are going to tell me what needs to be done to end this."

Zelena again looked at her in confusion. "Have the years addled your brain, dear sister? You know the only other way for you to die is by my hand. Just like I can't die unless you kill me. So we will keep playing this game for the centuries to come because despite what you may think, we are still sisters, and I have no desire to be the instrument of your death. And you have no desire to kill me. So we will continue on as we must."

"This has to end sometime."

The connection was lost before she could hear Zelena reply.

None of it made any sense. She had to be missing more of the story.

She sat on her bed clearing her mind. If she could stop the memories from happening by concentrating, maybe she could make them happen by concentrating. After 15 minutes of nothing but frustration she gave up.

She made her way down through the castle and down to the mausoleum where her mother's body laid. She remembered growing up, her mother always talking about the ultimate spell – immortality. Cora would be gone for days just on the rumor of book or someone who may know something about how to pull it off. But to Regina's knowledge she had never even come close. Zelena had though.

Even when her mother used to talk about it, immortality held no appeal to Regina. To live forever – to suffer through the deaths of others. When she was the Evil Queen she never even considered such a thing. She realized that in stopping time in Storybrooke she had in a way done it, but this, this was wrong. She felt wrong.

How many years had she lived? How had Zelena screwed up the timeline so badly that she wasn't a few years older than Snow, but decades older than her? What had happened?

How long had it been since she had held Daniel in her arms? Where was his ring in this timeline? The farthest she had remembered had shown she still had it. Had she gotten rid of it after the years drug on? No, she wouldn't have done that.

That ring symbolized Daniel's love, she wouldn't have gotten rid of it because years had passed.

True love – Daniel was her true love, which meant there was no way to end the curse that way. She must have realized that a long time ago and told Snow she no longer believed it could be broken. The idea of being with Daniel again had helped shape her decision to come here in the first place, but even that was stolen from her. Again by her mother.

"Daniel," she whispered. "I need you."

There was only silence in the crypt.

Regina made her way back to her room. It was late and while she had no desire to sleep, she didn't really have the motivation to do anything. When an eternity lay before you, what was the point in hurrying to do anything?


	26. Chapter 26

Emma went to knock on Regina's door the next morning, only to find Snow there about ready to knock.

"Good morning Emma," Snow said.

"Good morning," she said. Like with her dad the day before she had to remind herself that these versions of her parents didn't know they were her parents. The idea that she could be growing inside Snow right was also messing with her head a bit.

Snow turned from the door and toward her. "Tell me, how has Regina been lately? I am worried about her."

"Um, she's been ok."

"I understand she fell ill not that long ago and the doctor didn't know what was wrong."

"Yes, she did. But she's been ok since then."

"She seemed a little out of sorts yesterday; almost like she didn't know what I was talking about at times."

Emma thought, that's because she doesn't. "Stress. I think she's been a little stressed lately."

"She told me she found the barrier is weakening to the south of here and she believes the attack on our caravan was Zelena's work. I hope you have made accommodations for keeping the queen safe."

"I am not going to let anything happen to her," she said.

"That is as long as you are here. Charming told me of your plans to leave after the ball," Snow said. "It's a shame. Regina has few people she is close to. I kind of like the idea that she has someone close by that she can talk to."

"Yeah, well, my leaving, it can't be helped. She knows I have to go back."

"That doesn't mean she has to like it," Snow said turning back to the door and knocking. There was no immediate answer so she knocked again. Again nothing. Emma motioned for Snow to move out of the way. "Regina," she said as she opened the door. "Regina?"

They walked in, but Regina was no where to be found.

"I wonder why the guards didn't say anything about her not being up here," Snow remarked.

"Because they didn't know she wasn't," Emma said. "She used magic to get out of the room unseen."

"She wouldn't … how do you know?"

"Last night she came into my room. She was upset about … I should have gone after her when she left, but I didn't. Damn it," Emma swore. "We better try and find her."

…

Regina rode the stallion she had saddled up early that morning as hard as she dare run him before pulling up and letting him rest. She hadn't slept at all. She finally gave up all together, wondering how many other nights she had done that – stayed awake to think of the expanse of years that remained ahead of her.

She had startled the stable hands when she appeared at dawn, ordering them to saddle up her fastest horse. They hadn't disappointed as she felt the power of the stallion the moment she had mounted him. She was wearing simple riding clothes – reminiscent of what she would have worn a lifetime ago as she was still a teenager. The only addition – a hooded cloak. It wasn't as if the stable hands wouldn't tell someone the queen was there that morning, but she just wanted to escape for a while at least and be alone, away from the castle and the weight of it that she felt on her shoulders.

She cursed herself for a fool as she left through the eastern gate just as it was opened. Her kingdom – it was her prison, she thought. To her, the other kingdoms must have given it to her, not for her good deeds but as a place to keep the woman who couldn't die. Let her have her little piece of land and maybe she wouldn't be the monster she had been.

She had lost sight of the castle more than an hour ago. A misty rain had been coming down and she was thankful for the cloak she wore. She looked back in the direction of the castle.

What would they do if she just never went back?

The thought was highly tempting to her, but where would she go? She supposed she could find a way to get to Oz – confront her sister in person and maybe end this.

She knew she was being silly, emotional even. This life here, it was better than the one she had back in Storybrooke. People here liked her, respected her and they didn't fear her. Maybe the original generation did, but not the current one – as evidenced by Aaron.

Emma should have told her about the curse from the beginning. It would have been better to hear it from her than to be caught off guard by it from Snow. That moment when Snow said it felt familiar – like she had shared a moment with her like that before. She closed her eyes and tried to think – yes, how could she have forgotten Snow's casual admission that she had told Cora of Daniel. But even as she remembered it – it was so faded in her mind.

She was loosing touch with the memories of her life before.

This was becoming her reality more and more each day even if she had no conscious memory of much of her life there.

She looked down at the pendant that she wore around her neck. She had used her magic to split it so Emma would have one – what if she used her magic to try and jump start it back to full power?

She gripped in her hand, calling forth her magic and pouring it into the object. She felt it start to grow hot in her hand, but she didn't stop, letting more of the magic flow into it. She had her eyes closed but now she opened them fully as images invaded her mind. She let go, the heat no longer an issue as her head throbbed in pain. She felt the world spinning around her and she tried to grab the reins to keep steady. The stallion got spooked and reared up, dumping Regina on the ground and then nothing.

…

Emma, Charming and a small band of guards rode out looking for Regina. It had taken a while but with Aaron's help they learned Regina had gone to the stable that morning and taken a horse out. They were headed out in the direction the guard, who vaguely remembered a cloaked woman leaving early in the morning, saw her go.

They hadn't gotten far when felt a warm sensation under her shirt, which was quickly becoming hot. She hoped she wouldn't fall of the horse as she freed up one hand to reach in and pull out the pendant. She risked a look down at it to see it was lightly glowing.

She somehow knew it was glowing because of something Regina was doing.

They rode for on until one of the guards yelled out and pointed. There was a lone horse off to their right. They rode over, Charming dismounting to gather the horse in. He got its reins and lightly patted it. "That is the queen's horse," someone said.

Emma looked around – there was no sign of Regina. She looked at the ground. "That horse came from that direction," she said indicating the path they had previously been on. Charming handed the reins to the horse to one of the guards and re-mounted so they could follow its path.

…

"Regina. Regina,"

She heard the voice calling her name and she groaned slightly at the pain she felt, but managed to open her eyes.

"Kane? What happened?"

"I think you got thrown from your horse," he said. "Can you sit up?"

She did, although her head was telling her it was a better idea to stay down.

"It doesn't appear as if anything is broken. You were unconscious for quite a while, I was beginning to worry," he said. "It's a good thing I was following you."

"Following me?"

"Yes. You can't be too careful. How many times do I have to tell you that?" he said. "But my queen likes to be stubborn at times. I accept that."

He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back, but only for a moment as something about it felt wrong to her.

"What are you doing?" she said, her mind feeling like it was soaked in molasses.

"I'm trying to show you that I will always be here for you," he said and he leaned in again, this time forcing her back to the ground as he kissed her.

"Kane, stop it," she said pushing him off of her. She rolled on her side, tried to get to her feet, but her mind had other ideas as she collapsed back to the ground. She heard Kane saying something to her – it sounded like he said something about being her true love.

"You're not my love," she said, again trying to get her mind to focus. She was lying on her back in the grass and he was right there beside her. "Daniel …"

"I am tired of his ghost getting in between us," Kane said. "Tell me Regina, have I not devoted my life to you? Have I not done everything you asked and more? I am more man than that stable boy ever thought of being. Who but me have you chosen to warm your bed at night? And I will have you again."

He undid the clasp of the cloak she wore. She tried to stop him, but he grabbed her wrist and forced it down. He reached for her pants and she brought her other hand up to his face and used her nails to claw down his cheek. He cried out in pain, smacking her. Her head hit the ground and she felt the blackness start to take her.

…

Emma kicked her mount and spurred it to go faster. She couldn't explain it but she suddenly felt like she had to hurry, that there was something wrong with Regina. She crested a rise when she saw it, another horse. She rode for it, but as she came closer she saw two figures on the ground – one was Regina, the other Kane. It looked like they were struggling. Emma slowed up just enough to dismount without breaking her neck and took off in a run as she saw Kane slap Regina. Kane was so preoccupied he didn't see her coming until the last moment when she bowled into him, knocking him off Regina.

Kane used her momentum against her, rolling with her so he came out on top with all the leverage.

"You son of a bitch," she swore, trying to get a hold of him, but she got a hold of both of her wrists. She was able to move her leg which was in between him, and at least give him a little to think about as she moved it upward. It wasn't a strong enough blow to knock him off, but it startled him enough to let go of one of her hands and she punched him in the jaw. She felt the pain jolt through her hand and arm, but it gave her enough power to push him off. She got to his feet at the same time she did. They stared at each other.

"This isn't over," he said before he turned and ran for his horse, mounting it and riding off, just as the other riders in her party came into view. She ran to Regina who was unconscious on the ground.

"Regina," she said shaking her. "Come on Regina, open your eyes."

No response.

Her father was soon at her side, but Regina wasn't waking.

"Get on her stallion," he said. "I will lift her up, set her in front of you, the horse is more than powerful enough to hold you both, just keep one hand on the reins, and one arm on her."

She didn't question it, getting on the stallion as she lifted her. It was a little unwieldy and unnatural to her, and she found it hard to see with Regina being about the same height as her, but she shifted slightly so Regina's head fell back on her left shoulder. She took the reins in one hand and made for the castle.

….

Despite being worried for her friend, Snow couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction at seeing this Emma fret over Regina even more than she was. The entire time the doctor was checking her out, Emma was pacing back and forth near the bed waiting for him to say something.

When he said it was only a slight head wound, Emma looked like she was ready to strangle the man, or at the least argue with him since Regina had yet to wake. Charming had told them how Emma had ridden out from the group – veering from the path they were on and reaching Regina first almost as if she knew where to look for her. Then he saw her and Kane. While he hadn't asked Emma what had happened, from the way Emma had acted he could guess.

Charming had also told her how carefully Emma held Regina in her arms on the way back.

There were feelings beyond friendship there, he said, and Snow was willing to believe him.

Regina made a noise before opening her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Emma and Snow asked at the same time. Snow noticed that Regina's eyes lingered on Emma more than Snow, as she answered yes.

Regina rubbed her forehead.

"You shouldn't have gone out like that alone."

"Clearly, Miss Swan," she said.

"Can I get you anything?" Snow asked.

"No," Regina said sitting up. "I am ok. My head merely hurts."

"The doctor said you hit it pretty hard."

"Kane?" she said.

"He rode off," Emma said. "Don't worry, I won't let him anywhere near this castle, much less you."

"Have Aaron spread the word that Kane is no longer a general with my army and he is to be apprehended if possible,"

"Did he hurt you?" Snow asked.

"No. But he could have. I blacked out though so I am not sure what happened."

"Emma saved you," Charming said. "She stopped Kane before he could do anything serious."

"It seems I was right in making you a personal security advisor Miss Swan," she said.

There was something about the way Regina was acting that was setting Emma's nerves off. Especially the way she was saying Miss Swan. Even lying there in bed, she seemed more regal than Emma had ever seen her. It was odd.

"The doctor said you should get rest today," Snow said. "We will leave you to it." She nodded once at Emma before leaving with Charming.

"Are you sure you are ok?" Emma asked as soon as they were gone.

"Yes. My ego is a little bruised. I can't remember the last time I got thrown from a horse. And Kane … he will be dealt with. I should have seen this coming."

"It's kind of hard to see it coming when you don't really know the guy."

"I guess, in a way, I don't know him. I thought I did though," she said rubbing her forehead again.

"Seriously, Regina, are you feeling alright? Should I get that medieval quack of a doctor back in here?"

"Dr. Starling is a perfectly capable physician," she said. "But I do admit I am feeling a little out of sorts."

"In what way?"

"Well, for instance, why I know you are Emma Swan, my personal security advisor, I can't remember how it is that I know you. I just know that I do. How did we meet Miss Swan?"


	27. Chapter 27

Note: I do not own OUAT or its characters

Note 2: Thanks to everyone who has been sticking with this story, I know it's kind of long and I still have a ways to go. So thanks.

* * *

"This isn't happening," Emma said out loud even though she was alone in her room pacing back and forth. She had been interrupted from answering Regina's question by a fortuitous entrance by Aaron. She had moved back as Aaron spoke to Regina and it didn't take long for Emma to realize that Regina must have all her memories of this world now.

She spoke with too much ease with Aaron for it to be any other way.

Emma remembered how the pendant – the one that was supposed to help integrate them into this timeline – had heated up while they out searching for Regina.

This must have been the result.

Her Regina for all intents and purposes was gone. She was now the Regina that belonged in this time. And while she somehow recognized Emma, it appeared as if her memories of her were only from this world – not from Storybrooke.

If Regina didn't exactly know her, how could Emma expect her to help get her back home?

She was getting a headache. What she wouldn't give for some aspirin.

Her adrenaline level had tapered off considerably. She sat down thinking about seeing Regina lying there on the ground with Kane over her. She wanted to tear that son of a bitch's head off. She knew from the moment she met the man that he was bad news, and she had cautioned Regina about it. She had seen the way he looked at Regina, and so she was not surprised that he would try something like this.

She didn't understand how Regina could let him get so close. Even though she didn't use magic in this world – at least not much – Regina would have used it to defend herself. Yet she hadn't here with Kane, why not?

This whole thing had been a fuck up from the beginning. Just when she thought Regina could actually be a nice person, she goes and allows her sister to pull her into this time traveling shit. Now Regina was under a curse, hadn't gotten her second chance with Daniel, was still warring with Zelena and she apparently had horrible taste in men. Kane, really, she thought, what on earth could this Regina have seen in him?

It's none of my business, she thought. All she needed to was concentrate on getting home to Henry, even if it meant leaving Regina behind here.

…

"How are you feeling? And don't tell me fine if you aren't actually fine," Snow said. She was sitting on Regina's bed the next morning.

"I am fine and I appreciate your concern,"

"You will always have my concern and my love," Snow said reaching out and touching Regina's hand.

"And you have mine," she said smiling. "I hope you all don't think I am going to be staying in bed today. There is still much to do. Don't think I don't see what you are doing with the whole coming into my chambers at dawn to engage me in a talk, that knowing us will last for hours."

"I would never consider such a thing."

"Then did Charming send you in?"

"He and Emma may have spoken this morning about making sure you take it easy today."

"Emma." Regina said thoughtfully. "It's still a little fuzzy in my head how I met her. I seem to recall something about her having a son, but that is about it. Even some of our conversations here are still not quite clear in my mind."

"Which is why you should take it easy today," Snow said. "But speaking of Emma, you two seem to have made a connection with each other. I've known you my entire life and I have never seen you take to a person as quickly as you have her."

Regina considered what she said, "She's an intriguing woman. She doesn't seem to actually care that I am queen. I get the feeling that if she disagrees with me she isn't going to be silent about it. She challenges me, and I … I like that."

Snow smiled at her, "but you two haven't done … anything?"

"By anything, I will take it you mean anything beyond friendship? No," Regina said. "And I don't think we will."

Regina suddenly felt weird about having this conversation – not the talk itself, but talking with Snow about Emma and she couldn't figure out why it was weird. She was used to speaking to Snow about personal matters. The younger woman knew all about her and Kane, yet somehow talking about Emma with her felt not quite right.

"Why don't see her as a possibility?"

"For one she is returning home after the ball. This was only a temporary stay."

"Where is she from? You never said and when she spoke to Charming she wasn't very forthcoming beyond saying that it was far from here."

"Um … it's called Storybrooke," Regina said again feeling odd about the conversation topic.

"I have never heard of it. Which kingdom is it in?"

"You know I am not sure. Somehow I know I know it, but I can't seem to recall where it is."

"You definitely need to take it easy."

"I can't," she said. "In fact it's time I get up. Abigail will be here soon and you know I won't get a moment's peace between the two of you."

"We're not that bad."

"I practically need to give over power of the kingdom to someone else when the three of us get together. But I wouldn't change that for anything. It's nice to have friends."

"As your friend, I am going to suggest you stay in bed, but since I know you won't. I will leave you to get dressed," Snow said getting up. "And you should consider yourself lucky because you know once Abigail gets here she will be grilling you even more on Emma than I ever thought of."

Regina smiled knowing it was true.

…

Emma had tried to remain away from Regina as much as possible as the days went on. It wasn't too hard as the preparations for the celebration kept everyone busy. With Kane being gone, somehow she had become part of a committee reviewing the kingdom's security. Her father, although not a member of the kingdom, had offered his advice as well.

Things seemed to be well in order for when the guests began to arrive.

Abigail, whom Emma almost mistakenly called Kathyrn had arrived, early and it seemed she, Snow and Regina were practically inseparable. Whenever she was around the three of them she couldn't help but feel like she was being studied. Her conversations with Regina had been for the most part short and dealt only with the business of the kingdom. It was kind of hard to talk to her about anything else.

At least wit her memories back Emma had no reason worry about Regina hearing any of the storytellers spin their tales about her.

The celebration was due to kick off the next day. It would be five days of events leading up to the Unity Ball. It was also why she was now currently in the ballroom where it would take place.

"This really isn't necessary," Emma said.

"Nonsense," Charming said. "How do you expect to enjoy the ball if you don't know how to dance?"

She wanted to say she knew how to dance, just not in the manner these people were probably used to. Or better yet, she didn't want to go to the ball, she just wanted to go home.

"I hadn't really planned on dancing," Emma said.

"Well, it's a ball. You will have no choice as I am sure you will have plenty of offers for dance partners. If nothing else, I will want to share a dance with you," he smiled.

Emma couldn't help but wonder if this was what it would be like if she had been raised in this world – would her father have been the one to teach her to dance? She realized sharing a dance with her father at a ball would be a special experience for her, even if he had no idea why.

"Ok," she conceded. "I guess I should learn some dances."

…

Snow, Abigail and Regina were taking a walk in the castle gardens while talking.

"I think I should have an apple tree planted out here," Regina said.

"An apple tree?" Abigail said. "Why?"

"I don't know, but it's like it is missing something out here and a tree that would bear fruit isn't a bad idea."

"Why don't we go inside and see how the decorations are coming along in the ballroom?"

"Yes," Abigail said. "I need to make sure I take note of everything so I can make sure my kingdom outdoes it when we host."

Regina smiled, even though it was a little forced. She loved that the kingdoms kept this tradition up and enjoyed watching the spectacle of it all, mostly because the people enjoyed it so much. For five days they all forgot about the things that were bothering them as they simply enjoyed life. It didn't matter what your station was in society, during Unity Days, all were invited to join in the fun.

But for everyone she had been to it was still a painful reminder of her own life, her own mistakes. They may celebrate her and how she helped turned the tide, but they didn't really know the true story. No one did – only her. As close as she was to Snow and her mother before her, there are some things she had never spoken about.

After all, when it was all said and done, how could she possibly admit to them that her "switching" sides wasn't as innocent as she had made it out to be.

As they got outside of the ballroom doors, Snow commented on how she could hear music.

"The musicians are probably practicing," Regina said recognizing the tune as one of the standards for a royal ball. A servant opened the door and the three women walked in. Regina stopped first, seeing Emma there in the center of the room with Charming dancing. The blonde was clearly being instructed by Snow's husband as she had a few missteps on a couple of turns.

The music stopped and the two dancers realized they had an audience.

Snow moved up to her husband, "how is she doing?"

"Better than you from what Eva had said of your first lessons," Charming said.

Regina walked over to them and noticed Emma took a step back. She had gotten the distinct impression Emma had been avoiding her ever since she rescued her in the field. At first Regina thought it was because of her admission that there were things about Emma she couldn't remember. Then she thought maybe the other woman was embarrassed for seeing Regina in such a vulnerable position with Kane. But now she wasn't so sure.

"How many of the dances have you gotten through?" Regina asked her.

"Just the two," she said. "I am not sure ballroom dancing is for me."

"She is doing fine," Charming remarked. "She might do even better with a better teacher."

"You should let Regina teach you," Snow said. "She was actually the one who taught me after my own mother gave up."

"You broke one of her toes," Regina said. "She had to beg me to do it after that, and I still needed to rest my feet by the end of it."

"I did improve."

"That is true."

"Yes Emma, you should let Regina teach you at least one of the dances," Abigail said.

"That's ok. I've probably taken up too much time today on this, and the musicians probably have better things to do."

Now Regina was sure Emma was avoiding her.

"I am sure they won't mind a little more of their time being taken up," Regina said. "Besides as a member of the court you should at least be presentable at the ball."

The others backed up and Regina approached the musicians telling them what to play before coming back to Emma. She stepped in close and took Emma's right arm and guided it around until her hand was flat against Regina's lower back. Regina put her left hand on Emma's side near her hip and then took her right arm out and extended it slightly, bent at the elbow and made Emma mirror the position as they gripped hands.

"Now this is a simple waltz," Regina said. "Since I know the steps, I will lead. When the music begins, I will take two steps forward and you will go two steps back. Then we take two steps together to the right, and then you go forward and I go back and then again together to the left. Understand?"

"Yeah," Emma said, barely getting the word out of her suddenly dry throat.

Regina nodded to the musicians and the music began.

Emma paused a moment before taking her steps back but Regina had moved forward either, seemingly waiting on Emma. This was a more simple dance than what her father had taught her, but she felt about a 100 more times more self-conscious dancing with Regina.

"Look at me, not at your feet," Regina said on their second round. Emma raised her head and looked directly into those eyes. She had always found Regina's eyes to be expressive, even more so than her facial expressions at times. Regina didn't know it, but she didn't need to use her "lie detector" so much on Regina as just look into her eyes. It was the one part of her that didn't seem to be reserved in some way.

Snow smiled at Abigail. They had of course set this up. They had both agreed that Emma, as mysterious as she was, had some sort of connection with Regina and if the two women weren't going to admit it themselves then Snow and Abigail were going to do what they could to make them realize it.

"You have a nice fluid movement to your dancing. It's not stiff or anything," Regina complimented her. "You must have some dancing experience."

"Not much," Emma said taking a quick glance down at her feet. "The one formal dance I went to, I was sort of drunk at the time."

"I can't say as I have engaged in any drunk dancing."

"Don't. It's not a pretty site," she said. "This isn't bad though. The tune reminds me a song from back home."

"What song is that?"

"Girl from the North Country Fair."

"I have never heard of that. How does it go?"

"I don't sing."

"Please just give me a few line of it. I promise I won't ruin your reputation as a tough girl."

Emma looked at her – seeing the sincerest expression she had ever seen grace Regina's face.

"See for me that her hair's hanging down

It curls and falls all down her breast

See for me that her hair's hanging down

That's the way I remember her best

If you go when the snowflakes fall

When rivers freeze and summer ends

Please see for me if she's wearing a coat so warm

To keep her from the howling winds

"If you're traveling in the North Country Fair

Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline

Please say hello to one who lives there

For she once was a …"

"true love of mine," Regina finished. Both women stopped suddenly.

"Um … I guess I have heard it," Regina said backing off.

"Yeah," Emma said. "Um, well thanks for the lesson. I think I am prepared enough not to embarrass you at the ball. Not that I would be dancing with you at the ball, but you know I will represent the kingdom well enough."

"Of course," Regina said. "I am sure you will do fine.


	28. Chapter 28

Emma couldn't explain why she was apprehensive but she had a bad feeling about everything all of a sudden. The Unity celebration would kick off tomorrow, and while she had reviewed all the security measures she still had this feeling in her gut that something was wrong.

And despite wanting to not be around Regina, she had spent a considerable amount of time with her in the last 36 hours. She had kept an eye out for any threat, but she couldn't explain to Regina or to herself why she was being so protective all of a sudden. Regina had commented on it, and Emma had given her some line about it being her job, but the truth was felt like Regina was in danger.

The other feeling she was having about Regina was nothing of the sort. Ever since that dance, she kept thinking about how things had been between them since arriving here. Sure they had gotten into a few disagreements, but for the most part they had been getting along in a way they never had back home.

She had come to realize that she cared for Regina. If she wanted to admit it, she had cared about Regina before coming here, but that was different. That was more about her being Henry's other mother. This was more personal.

She didn't figure she would get much sleep that night, but was still surprised when there was a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" Regina asked when she opened the door.

"Of course," Emma said moving out of her way and shutting the door behind her.

"I um…the next few days will be busy and I wasn't sure how much time we would get to talk privately," Regina said. "I never really got to properly thank you for your assistance with Kane."

"You don't have to thank me."

"No. I think I do. I never thought Kane would be an issue. I um … when he and I started to sleep together, it was for me just a way to try and stave off a little bit of loneliness. I am sure that sounds ridiculous, but people they don't understand. They can't understand what it is like for me. Each day that passes is a day that they call get to continue in life and for me, it's like I am stuck. Each day is another day of what I can expect will be another year, and another decade. It wasn't like this in the beginning, but back then I didn't understand myself what it meant to be immortal."

"I can't imagine what it is like for you."

"No one can. People wish for immortality don't really know what they are wishing for. But I am old enough now to have some understanding of it. I am sure my views will change as time continues to stretch out in front of me. When I left that morning, I was thinking more and more about this curse. I am not even sure why. Some of it is still unclear in my head, but I remember thinking what would happen if I left and didn't come back. Then I don't know what happened, I got knocked off the horse and when I came to Kane was there.

I don't want you to think I was totally ignorant of him, I wasn't. It's just I didn't see him as a threat. I knew he loved me, wanted me, wanted to be more for me than what he could be, but I was foolish to think that alone would keep him in line, that he would never dare to hurt me. I was wrong obviously. Kane is … well he became obsessed with the idea that he could become my true love and break this curse that my sister cast on me. I never encouraged that line of thinking, in fact I tried to steer him away from it because I knew that he wasn't. He didn't want to hear it though, he wanted to save me."

"Do you mind if I ask you a question about the curse?" Emma said.

"You can ask me anything."

"I've heard some stories, but I don't know that I really understand. Zelena cast the curse on you after her army was defeated. People say she did it because she was evil and wanted to strike back at you for betraying her, but that isn't the truth is it?"

"No," Regina said. She took a seat and Emma followed suit. "You're going to hear a lot of stories in the coming days. While most have their basis in fact, most of them are wrong. The truth is no one knows the truth, at least not all of it. I have done things in my life, things I am not proud of, and I have worked to change, to be a better person, but all the good I've done never seems to be enough. Enough for other people, yes, enough for me, no.

Everything changed for me after Daniel. I had no interest in my mother's plan to conquer the kingdoms. But I needed my mother for one reason – her knowledge of magic. She had drilled magic into mine and Zelena's brains from the start. I was hoping to learn what I needed to … in order to defeat her."

Emma felt like there was something else Regina was about to say in her pause, but didn't press her.

"With Zelena and me, my mother was practically invincible. People want to simply believe my sister was evil and leave it at that. I didn't do her any favors right after the curse, so I understand why people view her that way, but there was a time when I couldn't imagine life without my sister. But like I said everything changed for me and that included my relationship with Zelena. I started pushing her away. I didn't want her around or anywhere near me most days. I just wanted to practice my magic. Zelena tried to stop me, tried to get me to see what I was doing to myself. She even asked me to run away from all of it with her and the day I told her no and I didn't care what she did with her life was the day everything changed for her. She was always more naturally gifted in magic than me but she lacked the resolved to hone her skills.

"But now she was doing that and more, much more that I didn't learn until later. It was the last major victory that my mother had won. By this time I had already been in contact with the other side. I was already plotting against my mother and while I didn't realize it t the time – I was plotting against my sister as well. I made no secret to Eva that I wanted to destroy my mother, so just as the battle was ongoing and my mother's forces winning, I finally did it – I confronted her. I used everything I learned from her and more against her. She and I were fairly evenly matched, but I got the upper hand barely.

"I bound her up so she couldn't move and I walked toward her. I was tired, and sore but in that moment I saw in her eyes that she knew I was going to kill her. That's when Zelena interfered. I remember my mother telling Zelena to unbind her, to stop me. Zelena stood there and she looked at mother with something like disbelief. Then she looked at me with such sadness. I never even saw her cast the spell, but I felt it when I went flying back. When I came to Zelena was standing over our mother's body, the crushed remains of her heart flowing through her hand, much like …"

Regina trailed off, not able to bring herself to say it.

"Why did she do it?"

"At first I thought she did because she hated our mother. I thought she wasn't going to let anyone, even her own sister get in the way of her doing it."

"But you don't think that now?"

"No. She did it to keep me from doing it. To keep me from taking the final step that would probably have turned me into my mother. She sacrificed her own heart – blackened her own heart for me. Once it was done, I wasn't expecting what would happen next, that Zelena would begin to lead the army. She became totally focused on completing what she believed our mom could not. After spending a great portion of her life being put down by mother, she wanted to show our mother how powerful she could be."

"You didn't try and reason with her, or stop her?"

"No. I had other goals in mind, and frankly at the time I didn't care what she did. But what she was doing was threatening something I was working toward. I chose it over her. I truly did betray her. This time I was doing it in the open though, not in secret. I rode with the armies of the united kingdoms against her. The thing is people didn't my mom was dead. Zelena was worried the army wouldn't follow her, so she used her magic to appear as mom. I didn't tell anyone it wasn't my mom because somehow I thought once we stopped Zelena, it would all be blamed on my mom, and maybe Zelena would be able to leave – go live a life somewhere.

"When she led the final battle though, she knew she couldn't win, but she wouldn't admit defeat. I didn't know at the time she wanted that battle to happen, needed it to happen. And she needed me to be there to face her."

"Why have a senseless battle like that? Did she hate you so much?"

"No. It turns out she loved me that much."

"How so?"

"Giant battles like that, there is so much death. So many lives lost. It turns out that was the secret to how to cast an immortality curse. The lives lost gave the curse the fuel it needed to be not only cast on me, but on her. We were standing there fighting, neither of us going for a spell that would do any major harm to the other, when she started to say a spell – one I had never heard before. I didn't act quick enough and from what people say the two of us were enveloped in a bright light so bright everyone stopped and shielded their eyes. When it was over, we were both unconscious. I was taken to the castle, Zelena's army scattered and she was taken to a specially warded prison cell that would keep her from using her magic."

"I don't see how that curse shows she loved you."

"She thought … my original plan after I killed my mother was to kill myself, to join Daniel in whatever afterlife there is. She made immortal to prevent me from doing it. Like I said, I view it differently from when it first happened. When I woke up in the castle I immediately went down to see her. I knew she had done something, but not what. She made no secret of it. But she also wasn't finished. She said to me, 'missing something sis?' And I didn't know what she was talking about until she looked here," Regina said pointing at her chest. "I looked down and Daniel's ring, which hung from a chain on my neck, was gone. I thought she was making an observation until she laughed. That's when I knew, she had done something."

_Zelena looked at her sister as she frantically felt the emptiness around her neck. She couldn't help but laugh._

_Regina focused her eyes on her. "What have you done with Daniel's ring?"_

_"It's beyond my reach now, and yours it would seem."_

_"Where is it?" _

_"You place so much thought into that simple band, more than you gave even me," Zelena said. "But who has been there for you from the beginning? Me."_

_"Give me back my ring." Regina demanded._

_"I can't."_

_"So what, killing Daniel wasn't enough, now you must take the last thing I had of his?"_

_"I haven't taken it, the curse did."_

_"A curse you cast," Regina said. "Why? Do you wish me to suffer an eternity without having at least that part of him?"_

_"No. I don't want you to suffer at all. I love you Regina. You are my sister and one day, I hope, you will see that I love you. Love. That is the point of the curse. You and I can't die, except at the other's hand. You either hate me enough to kill me, or love me enough to spare me. It's your choice. I will not raise a hand against you."_

_"That is the only option?"_

_"You know as well as I do there is another way to break a curse."_

_"True love's kiss."_

_"Exactly. You mourn Daniel, as you should, but you have turned your back on love. He was your first love; he doesn't have to be your last love."_

_"I will never love another."_

_"Then that is your true curse. If you learn as the years pass that you can love, are willing to open your heart to love, then the ring will return to you. But if you remain closed to love, then you will never see that ring."_

"At the time I wanted to kill her, but I couldn't. The rulers of kingdoms agreed something needed to be done, so I did the only thing I could think of – I banished her. I used my magic to send her to another realm and created a barrier to keep her from returning here. It's not exactly that I can't do magic, it's just all my magic is in that barrier so every time I do magic I have to pull that power from it."

"Which is why the barrier is weakening," Emma said.

"Yes. But that is no longer your concern."

"How do you mean?"

"I came here tonight, not to tell you about me. I came to give you this," she said pulling out a wooden box and handing it to her.

It was about the size of a ring box, but as she opened it she saw it contained a magic bean.

"I promised I would see you got home. That will get you to Storybrooke, wherever that is. It will get you back to your son."

Emma looked at the bean, nestled in a little padding, before looking up at Regina.

"You could come with me."

….


	29. Chapter 29

"I can't," Regina said.

Emma didn't say anything at first.

"I understand why you need to go. Your son is back there."

Emma wanted to say "our son," but she didn't.

"You have a life back there," Regina continued. "And that is where you belong."

Emma stood up and walked away a moment. She knew she should tell her – tell her that this wasn't her world, not her timeline and that if she should just come home with her and be reunited with her son. But she knew going back wasn't an option for Regina – not now that Emma understood that this immortality curse would follow her back.

For her to go back would mean seeing Henry grow up and eventually die, all while she remained unchanged.

She couldn't ask Regina to endure that.

"You're right," Emma said. "My life is back there. And yours is here."

"Things are going to be hectic over the next few days with all the events. I do hope before you leave though that you and I might get the chance to spend some time together."

"I don't plan on being very far from your side if I can help it," Emma said. "Kane is still on the loose, and I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. I know you say that this celebration is important to the people, and it gives everyone a chance to have a break from their lives, but there are way too many people around, and it's simply not possible to ensure your safety."

"I will be fine," Regina said. "I trust in your preparations. You are right though, you can't ensure my safety, which is why I if anything were to happen, it's not your fault. With Kane's betrayal you have been put in a bad spot. I trust you. I trust you with my life and to me that is all the assurance I need."

"Do you even like this Unity thing?"

Regina turned from her for a few seconds. "It's an important reminder, and it's enjoyable for the people. I do like that they get the chance to have fun and be entertained and feel like they are a part of something bigger."

"You didn't really answer the question."

Regina sighed. "No. I do not really like it. It brings back memories that I would rather not dwell on. It's not really about me so I can, what was that colorful phrase you used to that guard captain – suck it up? I will just have to do that."

"I still have a bad feeling about it."

"As do I."

…..

They were only part way through the first day of the celebration and Emma couldn't help but admit that the people were really having a good time. As promised she was sticking close to Regina's side. As queen, she said it was her duty to walk around, be seen by the people, observe events and actually attend some of them. That is how Regina, Snow, Abigail and their royal parties ended up on a raised platform that was constructed for viewing the jousting matches in the newly constructed arena.

Emma couldn't help but think how these things were exactly the security nightmare she envisioned. Everyone was walking about freely. Regina had rejected her idea that they at least be patted down before entering the arena. She didn't even know why she thought something was going to happen, just that she felt like it was. She would have felt better if she had known where Kane was. The man was obsessed with Regina, of that Emma was sure, and men like that didn't just give up.

They were in between matches when a storyteller on a makeshift, portable stage began to speak. Emma had heard snippets of stories throughout the day, but had yet to hear one from beginning to end. She assumed this was their version of halftime.

"Ladies and gentlemen, kings and queens, prince and princesses and to our host Queen Regina, the Redeemer, I bid you welcome. I am Clopin, and today, my friends I bring you a tale unlike any other you have heard to date. I know, I know you are all thinking there is no tale connected with the battle for Unity that has not been told and retold. But nay I say, there is such a tale. It has taken me years to track down, years in the crafting and today you shall be the first to hear it."

There were gasps of excitement from some of the audience. Emma thought the guy had flair but since she didn't know any of the stories all would be new to her anyway.

"I shall take you back to a time before the first attack on the kingdom of Midas, to the days leading up to that deadly assault. We have all heard the stories of Cora, whose lust for power knew no bounds. We have heard how she schooled her daughters Zelena and Regina in the dark arts, hoping with them by her side that she would conquer the world. This story is about one of those times."

Emma looked at Regina, who seemed to be studying the storyteller, but no really interested in what he had to say.

"With her armies nearly ready to strike, and against the advice of her generals, Cora told her armies to hold. They weren't ready yet, she insisted. And on that day she left camp with only her daughters. She led them deep, deep into the wood just east of where her armies stayed. They walked for miles, all in silence, for Cora refused to tell her daughters where they were going. Already in young Regina's mind were the seeds of an idea that would lead to her betrayal of her own family to make a stand with the kingdoms. But it was only an idea and she was still very much under the control of her mother at this time.

The night before had brought a quick thunderstorm through the area, and left this day overcast. The bottoms of their dresses sometimes gathering up the dirt and mud, the two girls followed their mother as they knew they must."

"Far, far into the woods they went until they came upon a clearing with a small creek running through it. Here Cora bade them to stay in silence. They waited without food, without water, their mother ordering them to not move toward the creek. Imagine if you will what it must have been like for them to be in alone with a woman who was mother in name only. A woman who made no secret of the fact she wanted to use their combined magics to conquer."

"Finally, a shadow moved within the woods approaching the creek. What it was they couldn't tell yet, but slowly it came out of the forest and stepped into the clearing. There stood the majestic unicorn – a rare sight indeed. It is said that it is a once-in-a-lifetime sight to behold. And from the moment it stepped into the clearing, it was as if the clouds themselves parted in that area to allow even the sun to behold it."

"The strength, the power, the majestic nature of this creature held Regina in awe from the very start. Her love of horses was only magnified a hundred fold by this one animal and unconsciously she found herself walking toward it. The unicorn which had come to the clearing to get a drink regarded the young girl now coming toward it. In her, it saw what all must have seen when they laid eyes on her that time in her life – innocence."

Emma watched as Snow smiled and touched Regina's arm at the comment and Regina tore her attention from Clopin. Emma could tell that Regina was listening to him with more than a little skepticism up until he mentioned the unicorn. Emma was doubting the validity of the story based on Regina's facial expressions, but once he mentioned the unicorn Regina's demeanor changed. She gave him a look that Emma was all too familiar with – the look of an adversary.

"The unicorn allowed Regina to come toward it, and when she was almost there, almost close enough for her to touch it that creature reared up on its hind legs, it's hooves in the air as if they would come down and strike her and then it froze."

"Yes, my audience, you know exactly what I am describing as we have all seen the unicorn banner fly in the winds. It's there and there in this very arena. The story we've all been told is that when Queen Regina and her faithful companions came to this land, she saw a unicorn rise up just like this and it was in that spot she decided to build this castle. A sign of good omen that was later adopted as a symbol of her kingdom. But nay, I say to you that despite the truth of that story, it was not that unicorn that inspired the Redeemer banner, it was this other one – the one a young Regina encountered that day in the woods. Like I said before, this tale has remained hidden until now. And it pleases her majesty, shall I continue?" He bowed once more to her. The audience was yelling out for him to continue. Regina locked eyes with him and merely nodded that he may continue.

Emma too wanted Clopin to continue, but only because she was trying to figure out if this was a true story, and if it wasn't why did it seem like it was bothering Regina.

"The young Regina turned to see her mother striding toward her with Zelena, her magic keeping the unicorn frozen. She turned back to the unicorn seeing the fear in its eyes, and the sadness. She was nearly overwhelmed with emotions. Once Cora reached her, she begged her mother to release it from the spell. 'Don't be ridiculous,' Cora said to her. 'do you have any idea of the power in a unicorn, in its horn and in its heart?' 'What are you going to do to it?' Regina asked and Cora laughed at her, 'It's not what I am going to do to it, it's what you are going to do to it'"

"Cora approached the unicorn, not with the reverence or admiration that Regina did, but with envy for its power. She cared no more for it than she did anything else her life – except for its ability to increase her own power. She dared then to reach out and touch it, letting her hand glide along its flank. 'I knew,' she said. 'that the unicorn came here. Just as I knew it would not see you as a threat Regina. No one sees you as a threat, and that is the problem we are here to rectify today. I have tried and tried to get you to understand that you must use your power, harness your power so that others fear you, yet you continue to fail at that lesson. No longer my daughter. Today you either learn that lesson the easy way or the hard way."

"She came back to stand beside Regina. She used her magic to force the unicorn back to its four legs. 'Take its heart,' she commanded. Regina stared once more at the unicorn, this time in revulsion for what her mother told her to do. 'Take its heart," Cora said once again. Regina was more than familiar now with her mother's tactic of literally grabbing a person's heart from their chest, but the idea of doing it herself or doing it to this magnificent creature before her was unfathomable to her."

"But Cora would not take no for an answer. Grabbing her daughter's wrist, she forced her hand inside the unicorn. 'Put your hand around its heart,' Cora ordered. Having no choice, Regina extended her fingers around the soft membrane of the heart. In her hand she could now feel the rush of blood that moved within it – feel the powerful rhythm of the beating of that heart. And she could also feel the power – the power her mother said was within in that organ. Cora hadn't lied. Regina could feel it begin to flow into her – a source of power that could enhance magic – even her own."

"'You sense it, don't you?' Cora asked. 'You can sense that raw power that lies just within your grip, can't you?' Wrapped up in a different kind of awe now, Regina merely nodded. 'Then take it,' Cora said, releasing her wrist. 'Take it and make it yours.' Regina tightened her hand just slightly around the heart and she looked once more into the eyes of the unicorn."

"In those eyes she saw fear and knew she was the cause. If she had a mirror the many times her mother had used her magic against her own daughters, Regina would have seen the same kind of fear reflected in her own eyes. In that moment, she knew the lesson her mother had tried to teach her – fear could be power. But Regina also knew as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the beating of the heart in her hand that fear would never be strength. She let go."

Emma heard several people audibly gasp. They were all caught up in the words, picturing in their minds this scene unfolding.

"Backing away from the unicorn and her mother, Regina said, 'I will not.' She knew what it was to openly defy her mother. She knew the harsh lessons of talking back, but she stood there letting her Cora know that she would not be her puppet, not be the kind of person her mother was."

"Cora though, she was a force, and one which Regina was not yet ready to face and win. Using her magic, vines shot from the forest, grabbing Regina and pulling her back against the nearest tree, her arms and legs pinned there. Cora then turned back to the unicorn and her other daughter. 'Take it,' she commanded Zelena, who looked from her mother, to her sister and back to the unicorn. 'Take it or join your sister.' Zelena approached the unicorn, not looking at its eyes. 'No!' cried out Regina. Zelena looked once more at her sister before plunging her hand into the unicorn and tearing its heart out. There was no pause, no hesitation on her part as she did this. She didn't relish the feel of the heart or its power. She merely took it. It now sat there nestled in her grip."

"'At least one of you understands,' Cora said using her magic to conjure up a box. She opened it, and held it out to Zelena who deposited the heart inside. Cora then made the box disappear. She walked over to where Regina was bound, grabbing her daughter's chin and forcing her eyes up to her own. 'You constantly disappoint my daughter, but if you think your little rebellions will keep you from participating in my plans then you are mistaken. You will ride at my side with your sister and you will do as I say. I see in your eyes that you think otherwise. I told you, you would learn my lesson the easy way or the hard way. You chose the hard way.'"

"Cora let go of her chin, let her hand move slowly down before reaching its destination. Like Zelena, there as no hesitation as she pushed her hand into her daughter's chest, gripped her heart and pulled. Regina could only gasp at the intrusion and then the loss of heart. Cora conjured another box and placed Regina's heart inside, then using her magic to conjure it away. She released her daughter then."

"Regina reached up and felt that spot, the spot where underneath she should be able to feel her heart, but there was nothing there to feel. And soon the residual feelings – love, compassion, and all that makes a person care about their fellow man would fade."

"After the defeat of Cora's armies, many felt that Regina should not be given a second chance. Not be allowed to redeem herself. There was never a question that without her aid, the war would have gone badly for the other kingdoms, but there were also others who knew she had ridden into battle with her family and used her magic in ways that are only spoken about in whispers. For they didn't know that as she did these things, she did so without the ability to feel the wrongness of her actions. They didn't know that her heart remained locked away and hidden by her mother. They didn't know with each passing day she forgot what it was like to care for her fellow man."

"But even the memory of those feelings, and the memory of that clearing, that unicorn was enough - enough for her to turn from the destructive path Cora placed her on. Enough for her to go in secret to Queen Eva and ask for the chance – a chance to change the course of a war and a chance to again feel the beating of her own heart. But that is the part of the story you know, now you know there is always more to a story."

"To Queen Regina," Clopin yelled out. "All hail the Redeemer!"

The crowd leapt to its feet, cheering not just for Clopin and his tale but for their Queen.

Clopin bowed again to Regina, who stood and clapped for the performance. As things settled down and Clopin began to leave the stage, Regina beckoned Emma over. Emma leaned in so she could hear Regina.

"Have him followed. I want to know who he speaks to, who he meets. I want every one of his movements tracked, do you understand?" she whispered so no one else could hear.

"Why?"

"Don't question me," Regina said. "Just have it done."

Emma moved away. She looked at Regina, who gave her a look back – one that left no doubt in Emma's mind that there was more to Clopin's story.


	30. Chapter 30

"What do you men your men lost him?" Regina demanded. She had a dinner to go to in just over an hour and had asked Emma to meet her in her quarters for an update on the surveillance of the storyteller Clopin.

"First of all, they aren't my men, your majesty," Emma said. "Secondly, perhaps if you explained why you are so hot to track this guy I'd be able to know better what resources to put to it. I've got the whole garrison on alert to make sure the people are safe and nothing happens during this festival. My priority is your safety and the safety of your guests and citizens, but if you want me to pull more men from that to go looking for Clopin, you better tell me why it's important. And don't tell me not to question your orders because if you do, I will take my magic bean and make an early exit."

"I'm sorry," Regina said, losing her anger quickly. "You're right, I should have been clearer in my expectations. The main concern should be the safety of the kingdom's guests and citizenry."

"Tell me what is going on. What was it about that story that got your panties in a twist?"

"Excuse me, my …"

"Never mind. It's a saying from where I am from. The point is, something about what he said disturbed you. What was it?"

"The story itself was inaccurate on several key points, but the issue is there should be no way anyone would be able to tell him that story. There was no way to piece it together – not way."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because only two people know what happened in that clearing that day, and one of them is me and I have never spoken of it."

"Who is the other person who would know, Zelena?"

"No. She wasn't even there –one of the reasons the story is inaccurate. It was only me and my mother."

"Maybe Cora told someone before she died."

"I'd be more likely to believe I told someone in my sleep than my mother speaking of it. My mother didn't believe in telling her secrets, which is why I was there and Zelena wasn't. She didn't want Zelena to know."

"Is it possible that Zelena or someone else followed you?"

"Not without my mother knowing. She was too careful. That is why I need to find this Clopin and question him on where he got his information."

"I happen to have experience in finding people," Emma said. "And I will try and find him and bring him to the castle, but if I'm going to do this you are going to have to do two things for me. Number one, tell me what the true story is and number two, if I can't be at your side to protect you, you have to let me increase the security detail around you while I look for him."

Regina paced back and forth a bit before speaking. "I'm not sure what it says about you but the second part it actually harder for me to agree to than the first part," Regina said. "But I feel like I can trust you in a way I haven't trusted anyone in a long time."

This time it was Emma's turn to be silent.

"I'm glad you trust me," she said finally. "I won't betray that trust."

"Take a seat then. I will try and make this story quick since I have a dinner to attend." She waited for Emma to sit down. "By the time our mother took us to the encampment where her army was, I had changed." Emma noticed she didn't say after Daniel died.

"I had it in my dead that I would be the dutiful daughter, do whatever my mother asked, learn whatever skills she wanted me to learn, all in an effort to become more powerful than my mother. I needed to get to a place where I no longer had to be afraid of when my mother entered a room. And I wanted my revenge. She was the reason my love was dead, and I wasn't going to let her get away with it. At the time I was sure I was willing to do anything to see her fall."

"When we first got there our mother had Zelena and I practicing magic practically non-stop. There were discussions about holding off on the initial assault to make sure Zelena and I were ready because a lot depended on us. Cora's plan was to integrate our magic with traditional warfare. Our magic would open up the pathways for her army to overwhelm the defending forces. Attacking a castle even with a mediocre force is not easy because the defenders have the advantage. Zelena and I were to be on the front lines."

"And let me guess Cora would be safely in the back?"

"More like in the middle. She didn't trust anyone, not even us."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask was Cora ever really a mother to you?"

Regina had a thoughtful look on her face before speaking. "I'm sure she was but those times were few and far between. I can't really think of one instance where she was just a mom."

"Probably because she didn't have her heart."

"Probably," Regina said studying Emma for a moment. "As I was saying Zelena and I would use our magic to lead the quick assault. Fireballs – those were my specialty. Zelena's talent was more wind based. She could throw a man more than 20 feet. My mother was very good with living things – plant life. She could make weeds grow into the cracks of a castle wall and break the bricks. As a team we were practically unstoppable."

"The day in question, my mother sent Zelena away on a scouting a mission with one of the advance parties. She made it sound like she trusted only Zelena to do this task, tried to instill a sense of pride in her or something. I have many regrets about that time in my life, but perhaps the biggest one was the way I treated Zelena. We used to be so close, inseparable but after … after what happened I turned my back on her and focused only on my mission. It's no wonder things went so horribly wrong between us."

"I don't think you can completely blame yourself for that."

Regina just shrugged. "As soon as Zelena was gone my mother led me into the forest, deep in until we reached a clearing with a creek. Then we waited. Next thing I know there it was – the unicorn. His story couldn't even begin to describe how perfect it was, and I was in awe of it the moment it entered the clearing. Just like the story I approached it and when I was almost close enough to touch it my mother froze it."

She paused in the telling, thinking back to that day all those years ago.

"She explained to me how the unicorn was a creature of magic and as such its heart could be used to complete the most complicated of magic – time travel, moving between worlds and the reason my mother wanted, an immortality spell. She looked at me and told me to take its heart."

Another pause.

"To my everlasting regret, I did it without hesitation."

"Why?" Emma asked, sternness in her voice that surprised her and Regina.

"I needed her still. I hadn't learned enough to know how to defeat her. I needed to destroy her."

Emma's internal lie detector was practically screaming at her, but she didn't know why. Regina already admitted that she was revenge on her mother and it hadn't gone off then, why now. And if she was lying about why she did it, what was she hiding?

"What about the part of the story about Cora taking your heart, was that true?"

"No," Regina said. "I had my heart the entire time. I knew what I was doing and I did it anyway."

"Getting revenge meant that much to you?"

"I take it you have never lost anyone you truly loved at the hands of another?"

Emma thought about Neal, about how unfair it was that he was taken away like he was.

"I have," Emma said. "Henry's father. He died because someone used him to get what they wanted."

"And you didn't want revenge on that person?"

"I think it's natural to want revenge yes, but acting on it in the manner that it will cost another person their life, no."

"You are a better person than I am then Emma Swan."

"Is that the full story of what happened in the clearing?"

"You asked me earlier if my mother ever acted like a mom to me. After I took that unicorn's heart, she smiled a smile that was more genuine than any I had seen on her face before and said, 'I've never been more proud of you my daughter.' Of all things, that it was my mom look me with pride, like I was worthy of being her daughter."

"That is seriously messed up."

"I suppose my mother loved me and Zelena in some way, deep down. Although I should have seen Zelena's actions coming. Her relationship with our mom had always been contentious, even more so than my relationship with her, but during that time it got worse. If I had been a better sister I could have found out why. I've had plenty of time to think about it over the years, and I keep coming back to that day Daniel was killed. My sister and my mother had been talking and when I saw Zelena again, it was like there was so much sadness in her that it completely overwhelmed her. I never did find out what they had said to each other but whatever it was, my mother came out on top as usual."

Not for the first time, Emma wondered what fate had against Regina. Two time lines and in neither of them did she get the happy ending she wanted.

"There will be more guards posted to you by the time you get down to dinner," Emma said. "I will find Clopin."


	31. Chapter 31

Note: Sorry it's taken so long to update. Hope you enjoy this chapter though.

* * *

With all the visitors and people from the kingdom around, it took Emma nearly a full day to locate Clopin. She found him in an inn drinking at the bar. She tapped him on the shoulder. He turned scrutinizing her in a way she found uncomfortable.

"Alas my dear, I am on a break if a story is what you are looking for," he said.

"I'm more interested in a story you've already told. Let's go someplace private to talk."

He again considered her. "You are the Lady Emma aren't you?"

"It's just Emma."

"And what does the queen's security adviser want with me?"

"A talk. Now we can do that here, or we can go up the castle. Either way, it's your choice."

"I have a room upstairs, if that doesn't bother you."

She was fairly certain the man was no danger to her, but she hesitated before nodding yes. She followed him to a small room on the top floor. He indicated she should take a seat but she remained standing, but he did sit down on the one chairs around a small table.

"You wished to talk, go right ahead."

"The story you told yesterday, the one about Regina and the unicorn. You said it was a story you had researched. I want to know how."

"Like I said, I spent years piecing it together, talking with various sources."

Now that she was up close to him she knew he way lying.

"Your story wasn't even accurate, did you know that?"

"Some times when you get so far past the actual events people's memories of it become faded. I didn't hear that the queen had any complaints."

"Why do you think I am here?"

This time she did take a seat, and she noticed he tensed up. "Where did you get the information from?"

"If I offended the queen in some way, please let her know I am sorry. I meant no offense."

"Did you know that it wasn't accurate?" she asked again.

"I knew parts of it could be off. Again, people's memories fade."

"I am trying to be reasonable here. And believe me, it's not easy. The queen wanted me to bring you back to the castle so she could speak to you personally, which I may yet do. I was trying not to bother her though with trivial details. She is busy enough as it is, but if I continue to sense that you are being less than straight-forward with me, I have guards posted at each of the exits of this building and they are under orders to take you into custody if you leave with anyone but me."

He looked around the room as if he expected the guards to appear at any moment. Still, he didn't say anything. She was having a hard time reading this guy, and she didn't know why.

"The hard way it is," she said standing. "Let's go."

"I've done nothing wrong," he said getting up.

"That's not really for me to decide."

…

Emma got him back to the castle and left him under guard in Regina's study with a strict orders that if touched anything they could cut a finger off. She didn't really mean it but she wanted this Clopin to know she wasn't messing around.

It was dinner time, and as she got closer to Regina, Snow insisted that since they hadn't seen her all day that she sit down for dinner with them. Snow even gave up her seat beside Regina for her. Regina, who was still in full-blown host mode, merely nodded when Emma told her that she had brought Clopin back and he was in the study.

As they ate their meal – Emma vowing to have some pizza as soon as she got home – there was much conversation about the upcoming ball and a certain surprise that had been hinted at, which Regina refused to give details about. Emma was again struck by how natural Regina seemed to be in this time line, especially now that she had the memories of it.

She wondered how she was going to explain this to Henry. She knew her son well enough by now that he wasn't merely going to accept that his other mother was gone forever. It wasn't fair, not after losing Neal.

Regina didn't seem to have any great urgency to speak with Clopin as she socialized after dinner. Emma took the time to check in with the guards she had placed in charge of watching her, asking them if anything unusual had happened that day. They reported all was normal. Yet that feeling of something bad was still lingering inside of Emma.

Finally, she and Regina went to the study. Regina ordered the guards out of the room.

"Your majesty," Clopin bowed.

"Sit," she said and he resumed his former position on a chair. She walked around him, and Emma couldn't understand why he didn't seem the least bit intimidated by her. She circled him twice before stopping directly behind him, while Emma was in front. "I want to know where you got the information for the story you told."

"As I have already informed Lady Emma, I collected it from many sources over many years, it would be impossible to credit one source with it."

"Then give me the names of all of them."

"I fear most were elderly and have since passed on."

He's lying, Emma thought. He's lying to her, but why?

"How convenient," Regina commented. "Fine, you will tell me how you went about collecting the story. You will tell me about every person you spoke to about it whether they are dead or not. You will not leave out any detail."

"Did my story displease her majesty?" Regina couldn't see if from her angle but Emma saw the smile on his face. All her senses were screaming at her that there was something wrong.

"What displeases me is not getting answers to my questions. Now I assure you, if you tell me the truth then you are free to go on your merry way. If not, well the dungeons haven't been used in a while, but that doesn't mean I won't throw you in there until you tell me what I want to know," Regina said moving around to the front.

Clopin, who was still grinning, looked from Regina to Emma and back again. "You want to know who told me that story, fine, I will tell you. It was your sister Zelena."

"That's impossible."

"It is not. Just because you banished her, doesn't mean she doesn't have those who are loyal to her on this side of the barrier."

"You speak treason."

"Something you should know a lot about Regina," he said, dropping the "your majesty" entirely. "After all you once committed treason against the kingdoms, then again against your own family and you would have turned against the kingdoms again, but once the unicorn heart was gone you found you were stuck, and you still didn't get what you wanted, did you?"

"Who are you?" Regina demanded.

"I am just the messenger," he said. "Sent here to deliver a message to you."

He moved so quickly, Emma barely got in front of Regina in time as a knife appeared in his hand. She felt it slide along her side as she grabbed him and pushed him back. Regina yelled for the guards but as they entered Clopin changed into a flying monkey and leapt through the window flying off.

Emma held onto her side which was freely bleeding at this point. "Get the doctor," Regina ordered and she guided Emma to sit down.

"I'm ok," Emma said.

"The amount of blood would suggest otherwise," Regina said and she tore part of her dress and used it to apply pressure to the wound. "I can heal it with my magic."

"No!" Emma said. "You've used too much lately. It's not too deep; the doctor can take care of it."

Regina looked at the shattered window. Emma could read the distress on her face. She was worried.

The doctor came finally and Regina left to "attend to some matters," she said. As he was getting the stitches, Emma decided she was going to add morphine to the ever-growing list of things she missed from home. The root thing he gave her to chew on tasted horrible and did little to numb the pain.

She went to her room after telling the guards to get someone to seal up that window. She changed clothes into something to wear to bed but examined her side first. The cut was about four inches. It was more than just a scratch but not deep enough to cause any serious damage. There was a knock at the door and she found Regina there when she opened it. Emma peeked her head out the door to ensure the guards were close by before letting her in.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes," she said. "All stitched up."

"I'm sorry you got hurt like that."

"It wasn't your fault besides protecting you is sort of the job description."

Regina took a seat and Emma could still see the worry etched into her face. "It wouldn't have killed me," she said finally. "The knife. If he had stabbed me with it, it wouldn't have killed me. My magic or maybe it's the magic of the curse, would have activated and healed me. I can't die by anyone's hands but my sister's. Surely Clopin knew that if he was sent by her."

"Maybe that was the point, to get you to use your magic and further weaken the barrier."

"Maybe. You didn't need to do that jump in front of me, I mean. I was thinking that … you have your magic bean, maybe it's best if you use it now to go home."

The suggestion caught Emma off guard.

"I wasn't badly hurt."

"This time. You weren't hurt badly this time. Your plan was to leave after the ball anyway, and that is only a couple of days away. You should go now."

Regina stood as if that was enough of a decree to make Emma leave.

"I'm not leaving," Emma said as soon as Regina got to the door. Apparently Regina had said all she was going to say on the matter, but Emma hadn't. "There was just an attempt on your life. Whether it was a legitimate attempt or not doesn't matter. I am not leaving you here unprotected."

"I have plenty of protection, as you have seen to it."

"And it didn't stop this from happening. I should have though. I knew something was wrong with that guy, and I should have listened to my instincts. I shouldn't have let him anywhere near you."

"This isn't your fault. I have become lax over the years. I have forgotten that just because I can't die doesn't mean other can't."

"Hey," Emma said, coming closer. "I was no where close to dying. See it's not the big of a deal."

She lifted up her shirt so Regina could see the wound. Regina reached out and lightly ran her fingers along it. They stared at each other.

"I don't want to lose you," Regina said softly.

Emma wasn't sure which of them made the first move, but all she knew was her senses were being overloaded by the feeling of Regina's lips on hers. She wrapped her arms around Regina and deepened the kiss. They continued kissing like that and Regina slowly began to force Emma backward, never breaking off the kiss. Emma felt the back of her knees hit the bed.

She quickly turned them around and she realized she didn't even know how to begin to get Regina's dress off so she simply said, "off." As Regina began to strip, she too removed her clothes, and she could only look in amazement at how fast Regina got her clothes off and then she was stunned by taking in all of the other woman. Regina smiled before kissing her once more.

Regina also wasted no time in bringing her hands up to Emma's breasts and feeling them. Her hands were so soft and smooth that Emma's nipples hardened in seconds. She let out a small moan as Regina pinched one.

Emma reached down and cupped Regina's sex, feeling the wetness already gathering. She let her fingers feel around her clit, occasionally applying pressure, but mostly just teasing. The sounds of Regina's breaths increasing was intoxicating to her. She kissed along her neck as Regina grabbed her ass.

"Bed," Regina managed to say between the kisses. Emma was more than eager to comply, forcing Regina back on to it and crawling up to press their bodies against each other as she peppered her with deep kisses. Regina was trying to fight her for control, Emma could tell, but for now she was on top.

She brought their groins together, dipping her hips toward the bed to press down even further. This time it was Regina's turn to moan and Emma pressed in again, hoping to hear more of those sounds. She wasn't disappointed.

Regina grabbed her arm and pulled her over so they were now facing each other, each lying on their sides. Regina bent down and took one of Emma's nipples into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it and releasing it only to repeat it again and again before moving to the next one.

Emma positioned one of her legs in between Regina's to open her and returned her hand to that oh-so-wet spot. This time instead of teasing, she began to rub the clit fast. She was concentrating so hard on giving the brunette pleasure that she was surprised when two fingers entered her. She was more than wet herself so the slipped right in.

The kissed and nipped at each other, all the while trying to establish rhythms that would carry the other over the edge. Regina was the first to go as she pulled her head back and cried out, still moving her fingers inside Emma who called out Regina's name as she came a moment later.

Covered in sweat, both women laid there catching their breaths. Regina finally moved to kiss Emma who returned it in kind. It started out slow, sensual as they both recovered. Emma moved her hand gently up Regina's arm, just wanting to feel her skin. Slowly the kisses came quicker and Emma knew their night was far from over.


End file.
